Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. One sweet potato provides an abundance of vitamin A, as well as a host of other vitamins and minerals. There are several ways to prepare sweet potatoes:
- cube and roast along with onions, garlic, and other root vegetables. Toss with olive oil, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper, and roast at 375-400 degrees until browned.
- rather than baking, sweet potatoes can be peeled, diced, and boiled until soft. Then, mash or whip the sweet potatoes. To make a nice side dish of mashed sweet potatoes, serve warm with plenty of butter, honey, and cinnamon.
- The boiled & mashed sweet potatoes can be used as a filling in bread (see recipe below) or sweet potato pie.
Sweet Potato Bread
This delicious quick bread is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even desert. It also freezes well. It is taken from Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts, edited by Kitty and Lucian Maynard. This particular recipe comes from the Four Rooster Inn in Tabor City, North Carolina.
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cup white wheat flour and 1/2 cup wheat germ and it turned out well. Whole wheat flour would also work)
1/3-1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional–I didn’t use them)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 by 8 inch loaf pan or some equivalent. Blend butter and sugar until creamy then add eggs and sweet potatoes. Mix well. In a separate bowl blend dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture alternately with milk. Add nuts. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Makes 1 loaf
Or to make muffins: Bake in lined muffin tins at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
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