Sweet potato...
The sweet potato is a plant that belongs to the bindweed of morning glory family. Its large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are a vegetable root. The young leaves and shoots are also sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is not closely related to the common potato. The sweet potato, especially the orange variety, is often called a "yam" in parts of North America, but it is also entirely unrelated to true yams.(@wiki)
Sweet potato is extremely versatile. Roasted sweet potatoes wedges and cubes are satisfying and quick to make. Toss these with a little oil and sprinkle with coarse salt, then spread out on a baking sheet and place in a hot (200 degree Celsius) oven until nicely caramelised around the edges, shaking the pan occasionally so they don’t stick, about 20-25 minutes. Serve these on dark green salads or on pizza; tangle in pasta; fold into curry; or top with a poached or fried egg.
The best way to prepare sweet potatoes for purées or soup is to roast them whole. This concentrates their earthy-sweet nature and is easier than boiling or steaming. Use this basic recipe for sweet potato, purée and then play with the variations. Seasoned to be tangy, hot, spiced or herbed, sweet potato purée makes a fine side to roast chicken, pork, or lamb and the base for a sumptuous soup.
Sweet potato is not only delicious, but also nutritious. Scientists have found that sweet potatoes are among the best sources of Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are also naturally packed with vitamin B5, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and carotenoids due to their naturally orange colour. It is also determined that sweet potatoes contain anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties. Most sweet potatoes are orange in colour, but there are others that come in purple, yellow, white, pink, and red.
The following are some of the health benefits that you can get from including sweet potato in your diet.
- sweet potato can help prevent vitamin A deficit
- sweet potato can help managing diabetes due to relatively low glycemic index
- sweet potato can help managing stress levels, because it contains a significant amount of magnesium, which is an essential mineral for normal body functioning. One of the most important benefits of magnesium is that it helps reduce stress and anxiety
- sweet potato contain anti-inflammatory activity, it contains a significant amount of vitamins, most of which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Studies carried out on the purple sweet potato have conclusively shown that the extracts from the vegetable variant had the capability of inhibiting the production of active inflammatory components in the body
- sweet potato can help minimising the risk of cardiovascular disease due to loads of antioxidants
- sweet potato can improve hair & skin. As mentioned above, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A. The vegetables are also rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin E
- sweet potato are good for digestion. They contain large amounts of fibers, which have
long been known for improving the health of the gut as well as digestion
- sweet potato can help regulating blood pressure, because they are rich in both
magnesium and potassium
- sweet potato can also help in weight management since contain soluble and fermentable fiber that increase satiety and offers the body a natural, self-sustaining mechanism for body weight regulation (@lacanadacarecentre)
Last but not least my super simple but one of my favourite combinations with sweet potato. These ingredients just compliment each other. That is chicken 🍗 and spinach, or broccoli 🥦
Ingredients (for 1 portion)
- 1 medium to large sweet potato (depending on your appetite 😁)
- 75-100 gr chicken filet or thigh
- 200-250 gr spinach or broccoli
- pinch of salt
- pepper
- garlic
- ras el hanout
- oil
How to
- clean and cut the vegetables and chicken
- massage the sweet potato and chicken with some oil and ras el hanout
- bake the sweet potato and chicken for about 20 minutes at 200 degree Celsius in a
pre-heated oven
- when the sweet potato and chicken are ready, quickly toss the spinach (or broccoli) with a
bit of oil, salt, pepper and garlic and serve with the sweet potato and chicken...
There you have it. Enjoy!
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