A Simple Side Dish, Breakfast Favorite, and Post Work-Out “Recovery” Snack
Okay, I’m gonna nutrition-geek out for a second. Did you know that sweet potatoes have 377% of your daily value of vitamin A, whereas a white russet potato contains barely 1%?! Sweet potatoes are not just a good source of carbs, but they contain great amounts of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, iron AND magnesium!
Sweet Potatoes Vs. Yams
Theres some confusion on the streets of the supermarket. Here in the states, there is a common mistake between the sweet potatoes and yams. So, I thought I’d shine some light on the subject. Not that it really matters, both are great for you, but, you should understand what you are eating and it’s benefits. According to some research, I have discovered that the U.S. government, big surprise, has perpetuated the error of labeling sweet potatoes “yams.” In most cases, sweet potatoes are labeled with both terms, which just adds to the confusion. Since there are many types of sweet potatoes, in particular one with creamy white flesh and one with orange flesh, the USDA labels the orange-fleshed ones “yams” to distinguish them from the paler variety. Alright, I guess that kind of makes sense… But whats up with the “yam” label? Well, yams are native to Africa and Asia and other tropical regions. Americans have been calling the orange-fleshed variety of sweet potatoes “yams” since colonial times when Africans saw familiarities in them to the tuberous variety. In reality, yams are starchy tubers that have an almost black bark-like skin and white, purple or reddish flesh and come in many varieties, including an orange color. So, now ya know! Feel free to correct those people… You know, the ones that say your when its you’re. #petpeeve
As I’ve mentioned, sweet potatoes have SO many great nutrient benefits, its kind of hard to believe considering how delicious they are! It might sound silly, but they are almost like a dessert to me considering how sweet they can be with the right spices. One of my favorite “carb” indulgences is a slow cooked sweet potato mashed with grass fed butter and cinnamon. Mmm! Makes my mouth-water thinking of it! But, if that doesn’t sound ah-maz-ing, then this recipe will surely win your potato vote.
Simply Enjoy!
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1 bunch of rosemary
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Wash and cube sweet potatoes.
- Place potatoes in a bowl of water for 1 hour if possible. *This will help take some of the moisture out of the potato.
- Place sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet (covered with parchment paper). Cover with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle arrowroot powder and mix until combined.
- Put into oven and cook for 35 minutes, stirring half way through.
- After 35 minutes, turn broiler on and broil 3-5 minutes until potatoes get crispy brown on edges.
- Lastly, take the potatoes out of the oven and (while warm) sprinkle rosemary over potatoes and a little more salt and pepper to taste (optional).
