2011 is the Year of the Sweet Potato

Happy New Year Sweet Potato Lovers!

There is no denying that the Sweet Potato has been steadily gaining in popularity for years, but 2011 is going to be the year when it reaches new heights. Our favorite sweets are officially the trendiest food around. Just how trendy, you ask? Sweet Potatoes have been named as The Vegetable of 2011 by the famed foodies at Epicurious.com.

Epicurious.com

This sweet root vegetable, bursting with beta-carotene and fiber, is finally getting the love it so deserves. With this fall's bumper crop estimated at two billion pounds, more prominence on restaurant menus (not just in fry form), and an impressive nutritional profile, the sweet potato will be crowned the Vegetable of 2011. According to The New York Times ... Google searches for the root vegetable ... have jumped 40 percent from last year. Chefs love them for their flavor, texture, and color: Sarah Stegner of Chicago's Prairie Grass Café and Prairie Fire serves up Stuffed Sweet Potato Bread French Toast with Cream Cheese Filling. At DC Coast in Washington, D.C., chef Brendan Cox makes Sweet Potato Panzotti with Sage, Guanciale, and Toasted Hazelnut.

In addition to those decadent offerings cited above, New York's 5-Star restaurant Jean Georges is making major waves with its decadent Sweet Potato Souffles. But they are not the only ones giving a shout-out to our favorite veggie. In fact, the New York Times recently gave Sweet Potatoes an article all their own, in which they declared Sweet Potatoes to be a "hip" food. 

They are also major TV Stars, being featured on the Food Network this week for a replay of Iron Chef - Super Chef Battle, where 4 of the greatest TV Chefs can be seen cooking Sweet Potatoes from Michelle Obama's own garden. Sweet Potatoes seem to be a favorite ingredient for the entire network with chefs like Paula Deen (Sweet Potato Biscuits & Doughnuts), Rachel Ray (Sweet Potato Chicken Soup), Giada de Laurentiis (Sweet Potato Gnocchi) and The Neelys (Sweet Potato Ice Cream) cooking them frequently.

It comes as no surprise to me that Sweet Potatoes are feeling the love all across America. Not only are they super tasty, but they are a nutritional powerhouse and an official Superfood. In fact, the Center for Science in the Public Interest recently declared the Sweet Potato The #1 vegetable for nutrition. It scored 184 on their nutrition chart, ranking it an amazing 100 points above any other vegetable. That number speaks for itself. A single sweet potato packs tons of Vitamins A,C and K, more fiber than oatmeal, and despite its sweet flavor it has a low glycemic index. It is also one of the few fat-free sources of vitamin E, and all with only 100 calories.

Sweet Potatoes deliver the perfect 1-2 punch of Trendiest and Health and then go for the Knockout with their amazing flavor. It is no wonder that Sweet Potatoes are popping up on every menu from local fast food joints to 5-Star Bistros to the White House itself.