March is Nutrition Month. That means we’ll be highlighting several super-foods throughout the coming weeks – foods that truly need to be a part of any healthy diet. Along the way, we’ll be offering some helpful tips and recipes making it easy to add a nutrition spike to any one of your daily dishes.

We’re back with another super-food, and it’s a sweet one. Now, before you get excited that we’re going to reveal the health benefits of cupcakes, we want to make it clear that this one is tasty in a different way – were talking sweet potatoes.

Although many of us picture sweet potatoes as a Thanksgiving Day food, they can actually be found year-round and are best during the spring and summer months. Aside from being easy to find and cheap, Sweet potatoes (or yams) are literally a powerhouse of nutrients and a great way to enhance any meal with few added calories.

A medium-sized sweet potato often contains more than your daily required intake of vitamin A, nearly a third the Vitamin C we all need every day and almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake.· All this from just a simple side dish low on the glycemic index!

So – we all know you can just pop a potato in the oven or microwave for a simple and fast baked side, but we’re talking about super-foods here. We want to mix things up and really explore great ways to add health to our diets without being boring. Here are some great places to start:

How about Sweet Potatoes with Warm Black Bean Salad to start? Microwave your yams covered in plastic wrap for 10-15 minutes until tender (or bake in a 425 degree oven for about an hour). Then, mix black beans with some fresh diced tomato , olive oil, cumin and cilantro in a bowl. Microwave or simmer this mixture until warm and spoon on top of your halved potato with some low-fat sour cream. The cumin adds tons of flavor while helping aid in digestion. You can find a more detailed recipe here.

Or, if you’re looking to have some more fun, try Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Slice your potatoes into fries. Then, place them in a zip-top bag with some canola oil, cayenne pepper and pre-packaged taco seasoning. Shake the mixture and spread it onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven and done! It’s a perfect side for those spring-time and summer barbeques. Find the full recipe here.

There are so many ways to add this super-food to any meal – why not take some time and discover some recipes of your own? If you’ve got any you’d like to share, we want to hear them! Join the conversation by leaving a comment or by adding your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.

Originally Posted March 2011 on APOGEE Wellness Blog