^{by Sharon Quercioli}

I love Sweet Potatoes! I eat them quite often. Normally they make their presence in most kitchen around Thanksgiving when sweet potato casserole starts appearing on our dinner tables. However, they should be incorporated more throughout the year since they are filled with so many great nutrients and medicinal benefits. 

Sweet Potatoes Can Help with Diabetes
When it comes to managing your blood sugar levels, potatoes are not normally targeted as a good answer. However, sweet potatoes are an exception. Sweet potatoes have been known to help manage diabetes and your glycemic index scale. 

Sweet Potatoes Prevent Vitamin A Deficiencies
When you are vitamin A deficient, you can be more susceptible to infectious disease, more vulnerable to increased mortality for women who are pregnant or nursing, and can even cause small issues like dry eye. Sweet potatoes can defend against that since they are such a great source for vitamin A and beta carotene. 

Sweet Potatoes Are Great for Helping Guard Against Ulcers
While undertaking research on the stomach models of animals, this study (http://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc4293869) showed that elements of the roots of sweet potatoes helps prevent ethanol-related ulcers. Sweet potatoes are also known to have “free radical scavengers,” which can help with wounds that might occur inside your body. Consequently, dietary consumption of sweet potatoes can help with aspirin-induced and ethanol-related ulcers.

The Age-Old Question: What is the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
Some people often use the terms sweet potatoes and yams interchangeably, but do they actually mean the same thing? Are they the same root vegetable? 

The truth is that they are not actually all that related. In fact, they are quite different. They even belong to different plant families altogether. 

Let’s break it down by definition, shall we? Sweet potatoes are a starchy root vegetable. They are just like potatoes in some ways (they have tuberous roots and the plant is eaten like a vegetable), but that’s where most of the similarities stop. Sweet potatoes are long and have a smooth skin, which can range from yellow to purple to red in color. 

There are two main types of sweet potatoes: the orange fleshed and the dark-skinned kind (which are found in the United States, sweeter and a bit softer) and the pale-fleshed and golden-skinned sweet potatoes (which are firmer and have a drier texture). 

In general, sweet potatoes are robust, and, if they are stored properly, can stay fresh on your shelf for anywhere from three to six months.

Yams are a tuber vegetable as well, but they (compared to sweet potatoes) grow large and can be any size from that of a red potato to five feet in length. They are cylindrical with rough brown skin. Yams can also be difficult to peel because they’re similar to “bark.” A tip for peeling is that they soften up after heating.

They also taste different. While sweet potatoes are sweeter than potatoes, yams are drier and much starchier. In actuality, they are hard to find in the US. Yup, when you see “yams” in the produce section, they are not always yams. In fact, grocers often use the term yam to distinguish between the two different types of sweet potatoes. If you want true yams, you can often find them in ethnic or international grocers. 

Hasselbeck Sweet Potatoes
I love Hasselbeck baked potatoes. However, white potatoes aren’t always my friend. Swapping out the white potatoes for sweet potatoes (and olive oil for the butter, which normally goes in sweet potatoes) helps make this recipe a whole lot healthier.

The Things You are Going to Need:

• Four medium sweet potatoes

• Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

• Teaspoon olive oil

• Teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme 

• Garlic clove, finely grated or minced

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Third of a cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt

• Scallion, white and green parts chopped

What You are Going to Do with Those Things:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Foil a baking sheet, then set it aside.

• Cut some slices along each potato, slicing about two-thirds of the way through the potato with each slice. 

• In a bowl, mix the butter, oil, thyme, garlic, and a quarter of a teaspoon of each the salt and pepper. Take the mixture and rub it all over the potatoes (making sure to get in between each of the slices too). 

• Put them on the baking sheet and roast until the center of the potatoes are tender and the outside is crisp. It should take about an hour or so. About thirty minutes in through the roasting time, take them out and run a fork across the tops so that you can fan out all the slices. 

• After you put them back in the oven, stir the yogurt and scallions with a pinch salt and pepper. Serve the sauce with the potatoes.

Apple and Sweet Potato Soup
For the second recipe of the day, I wanted to offer you a nice soup to help warm you up in these cold winter months.

The Things You are Going to Need:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Small onion, chopped

• Couple cloves of garlic, smashed

• One-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

• Quarter teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

• Teaspoon of curry powder, and another quarter teaspoon of the curry powder

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• Couple cups of low-sodium chicken broth

• Cup and a half of chunky applesauce

• Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

• Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

• Couple tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro

What You are Going to Do with Those Things:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and dice all the sweet potatoes except for a half of one. 

• Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. That should take about five minutes. 

• Stir in the ginger, nutmeg and a teaspoon of curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until toasted, one more minute. 

• Add the diced sweet potatoes, chicken broth and about two cups of water to the pot. Cover it and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. 

• Reduce to medium low, then stir in the applesauce. 

• Simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are soft. That should take about a half an hour. 

• Puree the soup with a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper; keep warm. 

• After you’ve set that aside, peel and thinly slice the rest of the last half of the sweet potato. Toss the slices with the olive oil, and add some salt and pepper to taste. 

• Spread the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp. About 10 minutes but watch closely. 

• Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the last fourth of a teaspoon of curry powder. 

• Cook, stirring, until browned; remove from the heat and add the vinegar. Top with the curry butter, cilantro and sweet-potato chips.