November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month!  Oftentimes, this vegetable gets lost in the shadows=of another round, orange beauty (see October’s blog post about the Pumpkin!). 

Both sweet potatoes and pumpkins are an ample source of Vitamin A, providing over the daily recommended value in one serving!

This vitamin is a vital component in normal vision. It also plays a role in the immune system,  reproduction, and proper functioning of the heart, lungs, and kidneys.

Okay, spotlight back on our sweet potato.  

5 fast facts about the sweet potato

1. November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month!
2. Sweet potato is a vine that grows horizontally on the ground. It can reach 6-12" in height and 1-6' in length.
3. Depending on the variety, the flesh of sweet potatoes may be white, yellow, orange, red, pink or purple-colored. More intensely colored varieties of sweet potato have sweeter taste.
4. Juice extracted from sweet potatoes is used to produce hundreds of dyes (shades from purple to black) when combined with lime juice. These dyes are used in textile industry.
5. Many people think yams and sweet potatoes are the same, but yams are just one of the many varieties of sweet potatoes!

Produce Pun:

What do you call a complimentary carb?

A sweet potato

Nutrient Highlights

1. Manganese is abundant in sweet potatoes, assisting with glucose metabolism and bone formation.
2. Sweet potatoes are high in many B-Vitamins, including pantothenic acid, which may help lower risk for hyperlipidemia, due to this vitamin’s role in lipoprotein metabolism.
3. Copper, an essential mineral found in high amounts in sweet potatoes, aids in energy metabolism, iron absorption, immune function, and brain development.

4. One cup of baked sweet potato provides a quarter of daily fiber recommendations, which promotes digestion and satiation, in turn, promoting weight loss.

5.  Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Research suggests that high potassium intake is linked to a decreased mortality risk.

Kid Friendly Sweet Potato Fries

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

• • 1 large sweet potato (leave skin on for more fiber, potassium, and quercetin!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons desired spices (Garlic powder, ground black pepper, paprika, and cumin)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Rinse the potato well and cut into thin strips. In a large bowl or mix together the spices and olive oil. Toss in the potatoes and coat with spice mixture (you could also do this in a large plastic bag). Spread potatoes out on a large

baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 20 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crispy, about 15 minutes.

Looking for more great sweet potato recipes?  Give this awesome sweet potato chicken chili recipe a try. 

Sweet Potato White Chicken Chili

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl (no garnish) | Calories: 310 kcal | Carbohydrates: 30 g | Protein: 34 g | Sodium: 430 mg

Things I love about this recipe:

• Very Filling (all that fiber from those beans and sweet potatoes!)
• Extremely nutritious
• Even more flavorful
• Super simple, low skill-level
• Short prep time
• Small number of ingredients, budget-friendly
• One-pot meal
• Family seal of approval

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Servings: ~10 people

Calories: 310 kcal

First, dig out your Crock-Pot. (If you don’t have one, get out a large stock pot.)  After that, it’s pretty much dump the ingredients and go!

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3-4 diced tomatillos (or 16 oz tomatillo salsa)
• 1 lg. sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1- 32 oz. container low sodium chicken broth
• 1- 4 oz. can diced green chiles
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1- 1.25 oz. package of white chicken chili seasoning mix
• 2- 16 oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2- 15.5 oz. cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish suggestions: cilantro, avocado, low-fat Mexican cheese, plain Greek yogurt, finely chopped onion, green onions.

Instructions

1. Add chicken breasts to bottom of your slow cooker and top with the diced tomatillos (or salsa). Then add in all of the remaining ingredients (except garnish ideas) and gently stir.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.
3. Remove the chicken and transfer to large mixing bowl, shred, then return to slow cooker. (Or you can shred in your slow cooker; it should be tender enough that it just falls apart when you stir!).
4. Stir and add pepper to taste if desired. Serve in a bowl, add optional garnishes, and enjoy!

Notes:

• Feel free to add more veggies as desired. Pro-tip: Mushrooms make an awesome addition!
• If you’re vegetarian, make using vegetable broth and tofu
• Can’t find white chili seasoning mix? Try this: Mix together 2 tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. paprika, ½ tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. oregano, ½ tsp. coriander, ½ tsp. cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from: https://krollskorner.com/recipes/slow-cooker-green-and-white-chicken-chili/ )

5 fast facts about the pumpkin

1. Pumpkins are members of the Cucurbita family, including squash and cucumbers.
2. 80% of the US pumpkin supply is available in October.
3. The largest pumpkin in history weighed 1,140 pounds!
4. Jack-o-Lanterns originated from a Celtic celebration called Samhain, meaning “Summer’s End.” It was believed that passed souls were closest to contact and carved gourds would be set out as both a beacon to deceased loved ones and to ward off evil spirits.
5. The pumpkin seeds are also edible and contain additional health benefits! Just 1-oz. of roasted seeds is an excellent source of fiber, zinc, and magnesium. Both zinc and magnesium play a vital role in the nervous system and DNA synthesis.

Pumpkin Pun:

What do you use to mend a broken jack-o-lantern?

A pumpkin patch! 

Nutrient Highlights

1. 1 cup of pureed pumpkin provides over 2x the daily recommendation Vitamin A! It is crucial to vision/eye health and also aids in immune function, skin and bone formation, and red blood cell formation.
2. Pumpkins are packed with Vitamin K, which helps in blood clotting and building strong bones

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

After you carve pumpkins, save your seeds for a delicious and healthy recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds (from 1 medium pumpkin), rinsed and patted dry
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 2-3 tsp desired seasonings (such as paprika and garlic, or cinnamon and nutmeg)

Directions:

To separate seeds from pumpkin “guts”, place in a large bowl of water; seeds will float to the top. Skim and pat dry. Heat oven to 300° F. Spread the seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until dry throughout, 50 to 60 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350° F. In a large bowl, toss the seeds with the oil and desired spices. Return the seeds to the baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown. Let cool 10 -15 minutes. Enjoy!