This subject came up in my team yesterday so I decided to blog about it now and give some of my favorite recipes. I wanted to do this before Thanksgiving anyway. There is a difference but most people interchange the names just like they do with rutabagas and turnips.

Sweet Potatoes
Popular in the American South, these yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture.
Current popular sweet potato varieties include Goldrush, Georgia Red, Centennial, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, and Velvet.

Yams
The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide.

Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length.
The word yam comes from African words njam, nyami, or djambi, meaning "to eat," and was first recorded in America in 1676.

The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content.


Heath Benefits

Sweet potatoes are relatively low in calories and have no fat. They are rich in beta-carotene , having five times the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A in one sweet potato, as well as loaded with potassium. These nutrients help to protect against heart attack and stroke. The potassium helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body cells, as well as normal heart function and blood pressure.

Wild Mexican "yams" which are related to the sweet potato, seem to have anti-weight-gain, anti-cancer, and anti-aging properties, according to Dr. Earl Mindell. True yams do not contain as much Vitamin A and C as sweet potatoes.


There are so many things you can do with Sweet Potatoes or yams rather than just baking, mashing, or even making a healthier french fry with them.

Yvonne’s Sweet Potato Casserole

1 large can of sweet Potatoes I am talking the real big can
1 can of crushed pineapple 15 to 20 oz - do not drain the juice
½ cup or if you want more nuts use 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts

Real simple. Open the can of sweet potatoes and drain. One the can of crushed pineapple, do not drain the juice. Mix in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 2 quart casserole dish with Pam. Pour the sweet potatoes and the pineapple into the baking dish. Top with the crushed walnuts. I don’t use butter, I make this as low fat as possible so if you have to add a few pats of butter I won’t look. I also do not top with marshmallow. The pineapple juice acts as my syrup.
Bake for 30 mins. in a 350 degree oven.


Or My Improved Sweet Potato Casserole

4 cups peeled sweet potatoes
1 large onion sliced real thin
1 medium pineapple cored and diced
¼ cup of olive oil
salt/pepper to taste


Mix all of the above in a bowl so that the olive oil coats everything. On a greased baking sheet put all of the ingredients in a single layer. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 45-55 minutes till everything is evenly browned.


Spicy Roasted Yams with a Lime and Chipotle Glaze

3 large yams or sweet potatoes
1 large lime, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tbl Chipotle chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Squeeze the lime juice into a mixing bowl.
Whisk in the Chipotle chili powder, and half the olive oil until well combined.
Peel and cut the yams into approximately 2-inch cubes.
Add the yams into the mixing bowl and toss with the lime and spice mixture. Make sure they are coated well, let sit for 5-10 minutes, and then toss again.
Spoon the yams out of the bowl (do not pour!), and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Reserve the lime and spice mixture that remains in the bowl!

If you don't have a silicon mat you can lightly grease the pan with vegetable oil, but the mat works better, as the yams tend to stick when roasted.
Bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven. The yams will be almost, but not quite, cooked.
Turn up the oven temp to 425 degrees F. for the final glazing.

Gentle add the yams back into the mixing bowl, add the salt, the remaining olive oil, and toss again. The hot yams will soak up the last of the lime and spice mixture.
Pour everything back on the baking sheet, spread evenly and return to the oven until they are tender and the glaze on the edges is lightly browned. About 10-15 minutes.

Serve warm with extra lime wedges. You can adjust the spiciness of this recipe by adding more Chipotle (which is smoked jalapeno and quite spicy), or if you want a milder version, just use a regular chili powder.


Spicy Vegetable Wrap
Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans of TV Food Network

Cook Time: 20 Mins. 4 Servings
· 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 3/4 pound)
· 2 teaspoons olive oil
· 1 teaspoon curry powder, plus 1 teaspoon
· Coarse grained salt
· 1 (15-ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes
· 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
· 1 cup carrots, julienne or shredded
· 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· 5 ounces washed baby spinach leaves
· 4 small whole-wheat pitas or other flatbread
· 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
· 1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
· Lime wedges for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place sweet potatoes, olive oil, 1 teaspoon curry powder, and a dash of salt in a plastic bag. Shake until well coated. Spread on a cookie sheet. Bake, until golden and cooked through, stirring once at the halfway point, 18 to 20 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, combine tomatoes, chickpeas, carrots, red pepper flakes, and remaining curry powder in a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Add cooked sweet potatoes, stir in the spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes
Divide among the pita, top each sandwich with 1/4 of the cilantro leaves and 1/4 of the yogurt. Serve with lime wedges.


I enjoy leftover baked sweet potatoes cold as a sweet snack. Sometimes I will bake up a whole batch just to have on hand in the fridge. Most of you who know me already know that one of my favorite Spark Recipes is the Potato Chip recipe that is done in the micro wave and only takes 5 mins. to make a yummy, healthy snack. I always substitute a sweet potato for less calories and healthier ones to boot. This recipe makes me feel as if I am eating something decadent. I made this once at my Mom's and both she and my niece said. " That is diet?". I said you betcha. My niece now makes this all of the time.

recipes.sparkpeople.com/
recipe-detail.asp?recipe=6
67884

I also like this Spark Recipe: Eggplant, Sweet potato and spinach tamil style
I cheat when I make it as I just use a good curry powder and tumeric rather than the other spices it calls for. I do not use the cilantro either, as I think it tastes like soapy parsley. YUCK!
recipes.sparkpeople.com/
recipe-detail.asp?recipe=6
99849

Enjoy this healthy vegetable that is also low on the glycemic index. It is really good for my Type II Diabetes.