Harper Acres Class #1

Wednesday November 11, 2015

Sweet Potatoes and Chard

Recipes:
1. Pureed Sweet Potato Recipe (bring)
Puree sweet potatoes with bananas, maple syrup, and cinnamon. top with chopped walnuts
2. Cajun Lime Sweet Potato Fries (bring)
3. Cheesy Chard Squares (Demo cooking)
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Introduction
Introduce ourselves where we are from
A little bit about ourselves
What we will be doing over the next 5 classes
Our topic is foods to keep you warm and well in the winter
Each class will include a sweet recipe, a savory recipe, as well as a green vegetable
we want to do our best to incorporate vegetables that are easily available to you and that are within your
budget
B. Set the tone
1. We will be here for the next 5 weeks or so and we want you all to be comfortable with asking us questions
and feeling like youre in a comfortable environment

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Overview
Hot-potato icebreaker
First we will cover a green vegetable, chard
We will do a demo recipe together
Then we will learn about sweet potatoes
sweet & savory recipes
Tasting demo
Summarize what we learned today
Evaluation
Objectives
By the end of the presentation, the audience will be able to:
Identify the two vegetables covered in the presentation today
Increase their confidence of using these vegetables from beginning to the end of the presentation
Say they have tried a new food today
Ice-Breaker
Hot Potato
Ask group if they know what this vegetable is
Ask if they have ever tried it or cooked it themself.
Pass sweet potato & have them say their name and their favorite thing about the Fall
The first thing we are going to learn about today is a green vegetable called Chard
Chard
Tall, leafy green vegetable that is popular in the mediterranean and mediterranean cooking
often referred to as swiss chard
belongs to the same family as beets and spinach
it has a raw flavor that tastes bitter, pungent, and slightly salty

5. The stalks can be all sorts of different colors from bright red and yellow to bright purple
6. The stalk can be eaten but it is usually rough and most of the nutritional value is within the leaf of the
plant
B. History of chard
1. Native to the mediterranean region
2. Ancient greeks and Romans honored it for its medicinal uses and purposes
3. Chard got its name from another mediterranean vegetable called the cardoon. They used to confuse the
two because the stalks look very similar
C. How to select and store chard
1. look for leaves that are vivid green and do not have any browning or yellowing color
2. the leaves should not be wilted nor should they have any holes
3. the stalks should look crisp and unblemished
4. Do not wash chard prior to storing as this speeds up the spoiling process
5. To store chard, place it in a plastic bag & wrap it tightly around the chard to get rid of as much air as
possible. Put it in the refrigerator & it should last for up to 5 days
6. If you have large batches of chard, you can blanch the leaves and then freeze it
a) Blanching means to boil water, submerging them for about 30 seconds, and then submerging them into ice
cold water for 30 seconds
D. Nutritional profile of chard
1. In just ONE cup of chopped chard:
a) about 35 calories
b) Over 100% of your daily needs for Vitamin K
c) 60% DV of Vitamin A
d) Almost half DV for Vitamin C
e) About 30% DV of magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium
f) about 20% of vitamin E, iron, and fiber
2. Health benefits
a) Phytonutrients
(1) Betalains - within this group of phytonutrients there are some which contribute to the reddish/purple color
of the chard as well as the yellow pigment of the chard stalk. These betalains are known to have
detoxification effects as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
b) Antioxidants
(1) Recent research shows that chard contains about 13 different antioxidants, many which are also found in
foods such as broccoli, kale, strawberries and other foods.
c) Blood-sugar regulating properties
(1) Flavonoid called syringic acid inhibits the enzyme that breaks down simple sugars in the body, which
means that the blood sugar stays more steady instead of spiking.
d) Also good for bone health due to the high content of calcium, vitamin K, and magnesium
E. Healthy ways to cook chard
1. Boiling (for about 3 minutes)
a) this will bring out the sweetness of the chard
2. Add it into a pasta dish with lemon and garlic
3. Add it to an omelet
4. Use it in place of spinach in a lasagne
5. OR make cheesy chard squares
F. Cheesy Chard Squares demo
1. Preheat oven to 350 dF
2. First we will crack three eggs into the bowl
3. add milk, flour, and baking powder
4. Mix (volunteer)?

5. add cheese and chopped chard

6. pour in pans & bake for 30-35 minutes
7. The fat from the cheese and eggs will help the body absorb Vitamins A and K (fat soluble vitamins)

VI.

While Cheesy Chard is baking, we will transition into learning about SWEET POTATOES!
A. Sweet potato is a root vegetable that is starchy and sweet.
1. Sweet potatoes are in season in November and December, however they are available year round at the
supermarkets
2. Although orange sweet potatoes are the most common and most commonly known, there are different
varieties that are just as delicious and nutritious
a) Some of these varieties include red japanese sweet potatoes and all purple sweet potatoes
b) we will talk more about these in a little bit
3. One common mistake that people make with sweet potatoes is that they are the same as Yams - which
they are not
a) Whats the difference?
(1) even though they look alike, they are completely different and belong to different families
(2) Yams are native to Africa and Asia while Sweet Potatoes are native to Central and South America
(3) Yams have the potential to grow much larger than sweet potatoes do.
(4) Sweet potatoes are more available in the US than yams are. They were brought to US by Christopher
Columbus
(5) On average, the US grows about 1 million tons of sweet potatoes per year and about half of these come
from southern states (especially North Carolina)
4. Selecting and storing
a) Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises, or soft spots.
b) Avoid sweet potatoes that are in the refrigerated section as the refrigeration negatively affects their taste
c) Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark, dry, and well-ventilated place where it doesnt get above
60 F, such as a basement or cellar
d) If you dont have a cellar, place sweet potatoes in a loose paper bags with holes punched in it and keep
away from warm places
e) Sweet potatoes can store for months, and generally in the fall, their taste will get sweeter the longer they
store
5. Sweet Potato Nutritional Profile
a) In just ONE cup of baked sweet potato there is:
(1) over 100% DV of Vitamin A
(2) Over half % DV of Vitamin C and manganese
(a) Vitamin A and Vitamin C will help to boost our immune systems and keep us healthy and strong
throughout the cold winter season
(3) About one third of your Vitamin B6 and Biotin (B7)
(4) Good source of potassium and fiber
(a) Potassium is an important mineral that helps to lower blood pressure. It also acts as an electrolyte in the
body which means that it carries an electric charge and plays an important role in body water, muscle
function, and the pH of our blood.
(b) Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot fully digest. It helps to regulate the way sugar is
digested as well as provide many benefits including lowering cholesterol levels and preventing
constipation.
(c) The average person needs about 25-35g of Fiber per day and one cup of sweet potato provides about 4
grams

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Health Benefits
Antioxidants help heal our bodies of free radical damage that can be caused by any stress to the body
in orange fleshed sweet potatoes, the beta-carotene is a key antioxidant
in purple fleshed sweet potatoes, the antioxidant anthocyanin
Many of these antioxidants also play roles against inflammation in the body, especially in brain and nerve
tissue
There is some research that shows the sweet potato may help with blood sugar regulation but there is no
sound evidence yet. They are considered to be low on the glycemic index, meaning that it wont cause
spikes in your blood sugar
Cooking Tips
You can eat the entire vegetable including the skin, just like you would on a regular potato
Boiling, steaming, and roasting are all great ways to prepare sweet potatoes
Because they are so versatile, they can be used in many different ways and either as a sweet or savory
dish, depending on what it is paired with
Today we have one of each so we can observe how great sweet potato tastes whether its sweet or savory
Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is incredibly easy to make and its delicious - it only requires a few ingredients
Sweet potatoes
bananas
maple syrup
cinnamon
walnuts
Whenever youre eating sweet potatoes you want to try and incorporate a small amount of fat, whether
its some sort of nut or olive oil. The fat will help our bodies absorb more of the antioxidant beta carotene
Before we pass this out to taste, we want to remind you of some mindful eating practices
As we are passing it out we want you too look at it and observe the color and overall appearance
smell it
look at the texture
make notes on your worksheet to remind yourself in the future
finally taste it, and tell us what you think!
give time for discussion
Our second recipe is cajun lime sweet potato fries
we are going to do the same thing

C. Evaluation (Verbal)
1. What are the two vegetables we learned about today? (as a group)
2. Which was your favorite and least favorite recipe? What did you like/ dislike about them? (go around and
share)
3. On a scale from 1-5, (1 is impossible and 5 is definitely) how likely are you to make at least one of the
recipes we learned about today at home? (hold up fingers)