The sweet potato is not only a delicious comfort food on the table every Thanksgiving, but it also one of the most nutritious and beneficial foods you can add to your regular diet. This beautiful bright orange tuber (meaning root) originally hails from South America and has a superior amount of nutrients compared to other types of food.

Sweet potatoes are naturally rich in antioxidants and also contain beneficial anti-inflammatory properties. These benefits can have a positive effect on conditions such as asthma, allergies, and even arthritis. Sweet potatoes are naturally high in fiber and calcium, and are vitamin-rich, possessing large amounts of potassium, folate, vitamin C and beta carotene. Sweet potatoes have so much beta carotene that they are actually being encouraged for cultivation in parts of the world where malnutrition and a serious lack of vitamin A in foods has caused widespread deficiencies in children.

A surprising and little known fact about sweet potatoes is that they are on the list of beneficial foods for a diabetic diet. They are naturally sweet in your mouth, but when you eat them, sweet potatoes release their natural sugar into the body at a much slower rate than other starches. This puts sweet potatoes on the list of low glycemic index foods. Low glycemic foods are foods that allow diabetics to better manage their blood sugar levels by preventing a fast release and rise of glucose in the bloodstream.

Sweet potatoes are easy to prepare, and their natural sweetness appeals to adults and children alike. The Standard American Diet recipe of adding whipped cream, butter and sugar is unnecessary, and can easily be replaced with a healthier topping of applesauce and cinnamon. Sweet potatoes can be remarkably handy in desserts too, including the recipe below.

Participate in a long standing American Autumn comfort food tradition by adding this astoundingly nutritious and delicious food to your diet and to the table this Thanksgiving! We have provided a few recipes to help your taste buds get the maximum pleasure from this comfort super food.

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Topping

8 lbs. sweet potatoes (approximately 12 large)

1 cup evaporated skim milk, or 2 cups of soy, rice, or almond milk, boiled to one cup with corn starch added for thickening

2 tsp. vanilla

6 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 15 oz. can juice-packed pears, drained

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup orange juice

Apple Topping:

3 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith or other green apples

1/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until soft when pricked with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool. Scoop flesh out with a spoon and put in a large mixing bowl.

Heat milk, vanilla, butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat until bubbles form around the edges. Pour mixture over potatoes and stir until thoroughly combined. Puree pears and add to sweet potato mixture. Then add remaining ingredients to sweet potatoes, mixing well.

Pour into a large baking dish. Sprinkle apples evenly over top of casserole. Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over apples. Bake 30-35 minutes until heated through.

Servings: 18

Per serving: 288 calories, 6 g fat, 16 mg cholesterol, 139 mg sodium, 55 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 5 g protein, 580% Vitamin A, 13% Vitamin C, 12% calcium, 9% iron

Sweet Potato and Orange Pound Cake

Servings: 12

Prep 10 minutes

Total 1 ¼ hours

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup local unsalted butter, softened

• 2 cups organic local sugar

• 4 large organic brown eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups all- purpose flour (you can also use half whole wheat, half white)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon seas salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 cups sweet potatoes (approximately one large sweet potato, or one pound), cooked, cold, mashed

• 1 tablespoon orange zest, minced

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons orange zest, minced

• 3 to 5 teaspoons orange juice

Directions

For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, then grease & flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt & nutmeg, then add this flour mixture to the butter mixture, a cup at a time, & alternating the flour mixture additions with a cup of sweet potato additions. BEFORE COMPLETELY MIXED, add the tablespoon of orange zest, & mix just until combined in a stiff batter.

Pour batter into the prepared pan & bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven & cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from the pan & placing the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of orange zest & enough juice to achieve an acceptable consistency. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Whether you’re looking for a Thanksgiving recipe or you just want to make something healthy and delicious, these sweet potatoes hit the spot!