Don't assume this crooked vegetable is just another ordinary cousin of potato family and its sweetness is no good for diabetic diet.Quite the contrary the anti-oxidant rich sweet potatoes have been listed as one of the top healthy foods. A deeper study in to its nutrients reveals that unlike potatoes,these sweeter potatoes have low glycemic index ,release glucose slowly into the bloodstream helping avoid sudden rise in blood sugar levels ,which is important in managing diabetes.
Not just for diabetics,sweet potatoes should also become a more frequent part of our regular diet to prevent against cancers and heart disease.Also the good source of dietary fiber will help you stay regular and will keep you fuller longer.And for those of you on diet resolutions,the sweet potatoes with complex carbohydrates are a wise choice for the carb intake.
For someone like me who spends hours gazing at the computer ,its gotta be the richness in Vitamin A(beta-carotene) that made me fall for it.Vitamin A is essential for overall eye health,sweet potatoes even beat carrots in its concentration of vitamins.
I'm working on preparing a set of recipes with this wonder vegetable.Sweet potato pancakes is easy and delicious to begin with.Using baked and mashed sweet potatoes these pancakes were snap to prepare,topped with tart blueberries these were instant hit for breakfast.
How to cook the Sweet potatoes?
The roasting\baking method seemed effortless,line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.
To Bake
Preheat oven to 375F.Lay on a baking sheet and bake for about 40-50 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.To check if done,use a fork and if it feels soft all the way to the center,then its time to get them out.cool for few minutes,peel and mash.
To boil
Depending on the size boil for about 30-35 minutes.
To Microwave
Wrap the sweet potato in a good quality plastic wrap,set the microwave on Bake potato setting,about 5-6 minutes for 1 medium sweet potato.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup Reduced fat milk
1 cup sweet potatoes ,mashed
3/4 cup Blueberries,fresh or frozen
1 large Organic egg(or 1 1/2 teaspoon of egg replacer powder)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon of baking powder(optional,I didn't add in mine)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Makes about 15 pancakes.
Method
Baked or boil sweet potatoes just like above.Peel,mash or process in a blender until pureed.Let cool completely before making the pancake batter.
sift together the flour, baking powder,baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.In another bowl,whisk egg along with milk and pureed potatoes . Mix both wet and dry mixtures.
Heat non stick pan on medium flame. Grease it lightly with oil . Pour one ladle of batter and ,I you like the pancakes thinner like me,spread a little by lifting and slightly tilting your pan around. drop about 4-6 blueberries around the pancake,drizzle about a teaspoon of oil all over and wait for a minute before flipping and let it cook for another minute.Repeat the same for the rest of the batter.
Serve warm with drizzle of Honey ,Date Syrup or Maple Syrup.
Sweet potato blueberry pancakes are my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn,now managed by Haalo of Cooking (Almost) Everything At Least Once and hosted this week by Marija of Palachinka
