Sweet Potato Goodness

rob_v

I will admin - I have never been a sweet potato fan. That is until now.
Bought 2 of them - medium size.
First one - just cut it into quarters length wise.
Put in the oven at 400 for about 20 mins.
Then brushed a very light coat of olive oil on them.
Spring very lightly with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (less than a tsp)
followed by some red cayenne pepper. Cook for another 15 mins.
These were just crazy good.

The 2nd on - I took on my mandolin and slices very thin. put on a cookie sheet and baked in the over for about 15 mins - flipped - then about 10-15 on the other side (until they are crisp). Just a dash of salt and let cool. Delish!

About 100 cals each - The olive oil and sugar/cin mix was probably less than a tsp each - so add it according .

katemiddletonisawesome

Sweet Potato fries have become my comfort food. I use PAM though, not olive oil. Cuts out on the fat of the olive oil.

sunshine3737

Both ways sound good! I was just wondering today how I could add sweet potatoes into some meals.

Josie_lifting_cats

I never liked anything sweet potato before... until today when I ordered a tempura sampler platter at a sushi house and one of the vegetables was a deep fried piece of sweet potato heaven.

Stefanie7125

bump

Curvy1taliana

Those sound delicious, and FYI extra virgin olive oil is NOT a fat you should be "cutting out" - it's good for you!

anwscott

Can't wait to try

1HappyRosie

bump!

Jennyisbusy

I love sweet potatoes!!!! When you are shopping look for small -medium for the best texture (softer less stringy). I eat them baked, microwaved, french fry style, mashed... I used to eat them with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter but one day I just tried it plain or sometimes I just add a touch of the butter/sugar mix.

Keep trying stuff!

veniceit

I like to roast them whole, and then just eat them plain, or with a wee bit of butter and salt.

Ven

wurgin

i love these ideas!

Caffeine_Addict

I love yams. I pop em in the microwave (washed and poked with a fork) for 10 mins and theyre ready!

alexandravr

Thanks for taking the time to put that up> I will try it. Alexandravr

m_snow

I love this thread! I've never really tried to understand the difference between sweet potatoes and yams....but I'm on a yam kick and imagine it would work well for sweet potatoes.

I cut my yams into about 1/2 inch thick rounds. In a bowl I mix up some lemon juice, soy sauce, a touch of olive oil, cinnamon, garlic, and black pepper. I mix the yam slices up in the mixture to coat, lay them out on a cookie sheet, drizzle with a bit of honey, and put them in the over 400-425 for about 30 minutes. Delightful snack or side with a savory and sweet touch, filling, and low cal. Love hearing what you all are doing!

ivansmomma

Love me some baked sweet potato fries or whole baked sweet potato. Just put a bit of margarine on it - no brown sugar or cinnamon.

7funnygirl7

I grate some into my spaghetti sauce for extra nutrients and a veggie that my kids don't know about....LOL

TrinaCanDoThis

I love sweet potatoes. I need to go to the store and purchase some more. It's actually become my dessert. When I crave something sweet, I add brown sugar and cinnamon! yummy!

Arrica

Sweet potato fan here too. I cook them about the same way; on a baking sheet lightly coated with olive oil and sprinkled with cinnamon and salt. I don't even think they need the sugar. Never tried adding the spicy pepper to them. I'll have to try that!!

alienblonde1

What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

Although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically. Yams are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and from the Dioscoreaceae or Yam family. Sweet Potatoes, often called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family.

Yams
Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999). There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier.

Sweet Potatoes
The many varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea. The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either ‘firm’ or ‘soft’. When cooked, those in the ‘firm’ category remain firm, while ‘soft’ varieties become soft and moist. It is the ‘soft’ varieties that are often labeled as yams in the United States.
Why the confusion?
In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!

shanahan_09

I've always just baked 'em. Definitely will try out your recipes! Sounds de-lish!! Thanks for sharing

ivansmomma

What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

Although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically. Yams are a monocot (a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and from the Dioscoreaceae or Yam family. Sweet Potatoes, often called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family.

Yams
Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999). There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier.


Sweet Potatoes
The many varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are members of the morning glory family, Convolvulacea. The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either ‘firm’ or ‘soft’. When cooked, those in the ‘firm’ category remain firm, while ‘soft’ varieties become soft and moist. It is the ‘soft’ varieties that are often labeled as yams in the United States.
Why the confusion?
In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!

Thanks for the agriculture lesson!! I didn't know the difference either, except that they were different. Had no idea sweet potatoes were in the morning glory family. Great research! Living in North Carolina, there are many sweet potato fields, and we used to be able to glean what was left behind. Some farmers are not letting anyone do this now, and the potatoes just rot in the field. It was a blessing to be able to glean these fields, and distribute to the food banks, etc.