To Your Daily Cooking Repertoire (NAPS)—Sweetpotatoes are trend- ingand are allthe rage—asthey should be! One medium California sweet potato has only 105 calories and 0g of fat, yet this versatile veggie contains more than 80 nutrients including pro- tein, manganese, carotene, potassium, calcium, vitamin C and more than an entire day's worth of vitamin A. Plus, California sweet potatoes are rich with antioxidants and loaded with dietary fiber—nearly twice as much as a white potato. Not just for Thanksgiving, thankfully, California sweetpotatoes areavailable year-round. Chefs and home cooks are coming up with fun andcreative ways(beyond Grandma’ holiday casse- role) to incorporate this tasty tuber into everyday meals—winter, spring, summerandfall. Here are somedelicious ways to cook This breakfast strata made with tasty, wholesome sweet potatoes can be a great way to punch up a brunch buffet. 12 ounces loose breakfast sausage or breakfast sausage patties California sweet potato (or two) to your One 7-ounce can choppedgreen favorite hummusrecipe, garnish with chiles a goodglug ofolive oil and a generous Nonstick cooking spray squirt of lemon.Serve with crudits and 10 ounces crusty Italian or French with California sweet potatoes: + For a quick snack, add a cooked pita triangles. + Makea beta-carotene-rich soup by adding uniformly chopped California sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and carrots to a homemadeorstore-bought chicken stock. Throw in a can of white beans, a handful or two of kale and garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan. + What’ better than home fries for breakfast? California sweet potato homefries! Switch out white potatoes for California sweet potatoes, throw in bread, with crusts cut or torn into %-inch pieces (about 10 cups) 4 ounces chvre (spreadable goat cheese), crumbled (about 1 cup) 3 tablespoonschoppedfresh sage 8 large eggs 2 cups milk % teaspoonsalt % teaspoon pepper Instructions: somechoppedonions, bell pepper and a sprinkle of cayenne or paprika and Ina large skillet over medium heat, warm theoil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 with your bacon andeggs. breaking it up andstirring occasion- you've got sweet potatoes O’Brien to go + Mashed California sweet potatoes make a delicious accompaniment to a store-bought or homemade roasted chicken. Steam the sweet potatoes until tender, mash, andstir in warmed but- minutes. Add the sausage and cook, ally, until the sweet potatoes are lightly brownedandtenderandthe sausage is cooked through,about 8 minutes. Stir in thechiles andsettheskillet aside. Coat a 2%- to 3-quart casserole ter and milk. For garlic mashed, sim- dish with cooking spray. Arrange ply throw a few clovesof garlic into the of the bread in the dish. Top with 4 steamer and mash them with the sweet of the sweet potato mixture, % of the Brunch is always a great way to entertain family and friends. Whether times.Setaside. potatoes. it’s Easter, Mother's Day or a regular old Sunday, why not wow yourguests with a delicious spread? Coffee, mimosas, cheese and % of the sage. Repeat 2 In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole and set aside for 20 minutes, pressing on the ‘This breakfaststrata will more than bread occasionally to help it absorb the liquid. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to California Breakfast Strata with Sweet Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Removethefoil Serves 10 to 12 browned and thecenter is set, about Danish,croissants, fruit salad and of course something with eggs. satisfy: Potatoes, Chiles and Goat Cheese Ingredients: 1 tablespooncookingoil 1 pound orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, cut into %-inchdice (about 3% cups) 350 FB. and continue baking until the top is 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting andserving. For more information aboutCalifornia sweetpotatoesandfordelicious rec- ipes, visit www.casweetpotatoes.com. Editor's Note: This tory can be useful to anyoneand ofparticular interestto readers inthesates ofCalifornia, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah andIdaho.
