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By
Chef Diane,
Did your parents ever tell you about the tough time they
had growing up? My mother's story was
she had to walk 10 miles, uphill, in the snow and carry hot sweet potatoes in
her pockets to keep her hands warm, and then eat them for lunch. She loves sweet potatoes, but only cookies
them for the holidays. She just likes
them plain, with butter and topped with marshmallows.
When my dad started frying turkeys at Thanksgiving, he
sliced sweet potatoes and fried them too, made chips. Now you can even go to restaurants and order
sweet potato fries too. Seems to have
been a big explosion in the awareness of sweet potatoes with good reason too.
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Did you know that the sweet potato ranks number one in
nutrition? Sweet potatoes are high in
the following: beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C; fiber,
thiamine, niacin, potassium and copper. They are also a good source of protein,
calcium, vitamin E. Sweet potatoes rank
highest in Vitamin A and beta carotene.
Vitamin A promotes good vision, especially in low light. It may also be
needed for reproduction and breast-feeding. Vitamin A helps form and maintains
healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin. It is
also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the
eye.
Beta-carotene is an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect
cells from damage caused by substances called free radicals. Free radicals are
believed to contribute to certain chronic diseases and play a role in the aging
processes.
My great state of Mississippi produces 19% of the
country's total sweet potato crop.
Mississippi has about 150 farmers growing sweet potatoes on about 8,200
acres (33 km2), contributing $19 million dollars to the state's economy.
Mississippi's top five sweet potato producing counties are Calhoun, Chickasaw,
Pontotoc, Yalobusha, and Panola. The National Sweet Potato Festival is held
annually the entire first week in November in Vardaman (Calhoun County), which
proclaims itself as "The Sweet Potato Capital", they also elect a
Sweet Potato queen who goes on to participate in the Miss Mississippi Pageant.
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Since sweet potatoes are being recognized all month, you
have plenty of time to try them, try some new recipes, or eat sweet potato
fries instead of regular fries. Who
knows you may like them better, they are better for you too.
Another way to eat them is in bread. A friend of mine gave me her sweet potato
bread recipe, so I’m sharing it with you.
Enjoy!
Sweet
Potato Bread
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Ingredients:
- 3 Cups sugar
- 3 cups self rising flour
- 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (cook in microwave until done, scoop it out of the skin)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
Directions
Mix all ingredients well, pour in greased loaf pan, bake
in preheated oven at 350 degrees for an hour, or until done.
Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts (for one medium size sweet
potato)
- Calories 130
- Fat 0.39 g
- Protein 2.15 g
- Net Carbs 31.56 g
- Dietary Fiber 3.9 g
- Calcium 28.6 mg
- Sodium 16.9 mg
- Potassium 265.2 mg
- Foliate 18.2 mcg
- Vitamin C 29.51 mg
- Vitamin A 26081.9 IU
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