Page 19 - 7-17-15 Friday's Edition

Recipes
Sweet Potatoes... Great To Eat & Healthy, Too
Here are a few reasons you shouldn’t wait until the holidays to enjoy sweet potatoes.
• They are high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including heart attacks.
• They are a good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps acceler- ate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essential to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer.
• They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health at this time of year. Both a vitamin and a hor- mone, vitamin D is primarily made in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. There is a seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to inadequate sun- light and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland.
• Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper immune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.
• Sweet potatoes are a good source of magnesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the population in North America may be deficient in this important mineral.
• They are a source of potassium, one of the important elec- trolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of the kid- neys.
• Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to en- sure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight gain.
• Their rich orange color indicates that they are high in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your body. Carotenoids help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease, they are powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer and protect against the effects of aging.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes & Avocado Pipian
13⁄4 pounds sweet potatoes
1 poblano chile
1 small avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1⁄2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 scallion, trimmed and coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing ground cumin, for sprinkling
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 cups baby spinach or kale leaves
1⁄4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds),
lightly toasted for garnish
1⁄2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (garnish)
DIRECTIONS: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Cook the yams until almost tender when pierced with a thin, sharp knife, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool completely. Meanwhile, make the Pipian: Char the poblano over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning it fre- quently until blackened and charred on all sides. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with a towel, and allow the chile to steam until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Peel, seed, and stem the chile.
In the blender, combine the roasted poblano, avocado, cilantro, pepitas, scallion, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Add 1⁄2 cup water and puree. With the blender running, gradually add water by tablespoon- fuls, up to 1⁄4 cup more, to make a thick sauce. (The yams and sauce can be prepared up to 2 days ahead; cover separately and refrigerate.)
Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat. Cut each yam into quarters lengthwise. Brush the yams with olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Grill the yams until browned and tender, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Place 1 grilled yam on each plate and sprinkle with the baby spinach. Spoon the sauce over the yams. Sprinkle with the toasted pepitas and pomegranate seeds and serve.
Savory Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed or 1 cup fresh sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
4 cups all-purpose baking mix 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon Poultry Magic
3⁄4 cup skim milk
3 tablespoon margarine, softened
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450°F. In a mixing bowl, mix the mashed yams with the baking mix, parsley and Poultry Magic. Add the milk and margarine to the mixture, stirring until blended. Roll on floured surface to 1 inch thick. Cut with a 2-inch cutter or glass and place on baking sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 sweet potato (peeled, sliced 1⁄2” slices 2 ears corn, husks and silks removed 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 bag tortilla chips (assorted colors)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
1⁄2 cup canned black beans
(drained, rinsed)
3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped 2 green onions, chopped
Lime wedges
Guacamole
Que Pasa Salsa
DIRECTIONS: Preheat grill to medium-high heat; grease grate well. Stir oil with garlic, chili pow- der, cumin and lime zest. Brush corn with some of the oil mixture. Toss remaining mixture with sweet potatoes. Season corn and sweet potatoes all over with salt and pepper.
Grill corn, turning occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes or until well-marked and tender. Grill sweet potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes or until well marked and tender.
Cut kernels from corn and finely dice sweet potatoes.
Preheat broiler to high. Arrange tortillas in layers with corn, sweet potatoes, cheese, and black beans on a pizza pan. Broil until cheese is melted.
Garnish with jalapenos and green onions. Serve with lime wedges, guacamole, and salsa.
3-STEP Sweet Potato Cheesecake
2 package cream cheese, softened
3⁄4 cup drained canned sweet potatoes, mashed
1⁄2 cup each sugar and ground cinnamon
dash each of ground cloves and nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.) 3⁄4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 350°F. Beat first 7 ingredi-
ents with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mix-
ing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour into crust; top with nuts. Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours. Drizzle with syrup just before serving.
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-B
From Tonia Turner