MY SWEET POTATO^___^

The healing power of the sweet potato: another good food that has received a bad name, taking blame for weight gain. The sweet potato is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. It can help preserve your memory, control diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Sweet potatoes are more than just a filling food. Sweet potatoes are used in controlling weight and conditions like diabetes.

Sweet potatoes have anti-oxidants that are known to protect our bodies from degenerative diseases. This plant is also recognized for its powerful anti-aging properties.Now, let's get to the mind. Sweet potatoes not only keep you healthy, they have those good B vitamins, folate and vitamin B6, that give the brain a boost as we age. 

When buying sweet potatoes, look for the ones with the most orange color. They have the most beta-carotene. They have little fat, but they do require a little fat to get the vitamins into your system. It is easy to get the required five to seven grams from other foods in your meal. Knowing this fact, I don't think I will worry about the pat of real butter I will melt on my nutritious sweet potato.

The root crops as well as the leaves of sweet potatoes both have anti-oxidant properties but the concentration of which are found in the leaves. It contain vitamin A and C, protein, lipids, calcium, carbohydrates, iron, phosphorus and relatively low in calories and have no fat. The plant is also very rich in anti-aging nutrients particularly beta-carotene having five times the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin A.

However, sweet potatoes are considered poor man’s crop and usually associated during hard times. In fact, this crop is becoming less popular in affluent countries. With the above benefits, we should start putting this plant back into our daily menus regardless of our financial stature. A 3.5 ounce of baked sweet potato will provide you with the following nutritional values:

• 141 calories

• 8,800 IU of vitamin A

• 42 % of the RDA for vitamin C

• 6  %  of the RDA for calcium

• 10 % of the RDA for iron

• 8 %  of the RDA for thiamine 

 SWEET POTATO BUTTERMILK DINNER ROLLS

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup dry roasted garlic potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and stir. Add potato flakes, salt, egg, oil, onion powder, cheese and 1 cup of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Continue stirring until smooth, scraping batter from sides of bowl.

Cover and let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 20 to 30 minutes. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Once risen, punch down dough. Spoon dough evenly into greased muffin cups. Let rise until batter reaches tops of cups, or about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes. Bon Appettit ^__^!!!