Vegan Choco Sweet Potato Lattes
Vegan Choco Sweet Potato Lattes
In the United States, we usually encounter sweet potatoes in soups, sides, and the occasional dessert. However, they’re extremely popular in South Korea and are often served on their own as a healthy, delicious snack or blended into a creamy, tasty beverage known as Goguma Latte!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- blend :
to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- simmer :
to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.
Equipment Checklist
- Medium saucepan
- Can opener
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Whisk
Ingredients
Vegan Choco Sweet Potato Lattes
- 1 can sweet potato purée (if not available, sub 1 can pumpkin purée + 2 T brown sugar)
- 1 T cocoa powder (dark or milk, your choice)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 T brown sugar
- 3 C water
- ice, optional (if serving drink cold)
Instructions
Vegan Choco Sweet Potato Lattes
blend + simmer
Combine all the following ingredients in a medium saucepan: 1 can sweet potato purée, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Whisk while slowly pouring in 2 cups of water. Then turn the heat to medium when the mixture is smooth. Add 1 more cup of water and bring the mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes.
taste + serve
Taste and adjust the flavor after 5 minutes. You can always add more sugar, cinnamon, or even a pinch of salt to strengthen the flavor of the latte. Serve warm in a mug immediately or chill the drink over ice and enjoy it cold. "Á votre santé!" ("Cheers!" in French.)
Hi! I’m Sweet Potato!
"Sweet potatoes are root vegetables, like beets and carrots! We're very popular in the Fall, especially for holiday dinners, where you might find us baked whole or sliced and diced as part of a side dish. We also pair well with fruit and other vegetables in salads and casseroles."
History
- The sweet potato originated in Central or South America, and people began cultivating them in Central America at least 5,000 years ago.
- Sweet potatoes have been grown in Peru for almost 3,000 years and remain one of the major crops for people in Peru.
- When Columbus arrived in the New World, Native Americans were already growing and utilizing sweet potatoes. Columbus brought sweet potatoes back to Europe, and other explorers brought them from the New World to Asia.
- Sweet potatoes were cultivated widely in Colonial America and were a significant form of sustenance for farmers and soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
- As far as records show, orange sweet potatoes originally came from Puerto Rico and were named "yams" by Louisiana farmers to differentiate them from the white-fleshed variety grown in other parts of the country. Indeed, the sweet potato is officially the state vegetable of Louisiana! It's also North Carolina's official state vegetable.
- George Washington grew sweet potatoes on his estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
- North American supermarkets import much of their sweet potatoes from the Caribbean.
- February is National Sweet Potato month!
Anatomy & Etymology
- Sweet potatoes are edible roots, not tubers like potatoes. Actually, sweet potatoes aren't related to potatoes but are part of the Morning Glory family. Plants from this family produce beautiful flowers whose seeds were revered for their laxative properties by the Chinese.
- The flesh of sweet potatoes can be white, yellow, orange, or even purple!
- Enslaved African-Аmericans called the sweet potato "nyami" because it reminded them of the starchy, edible tuber from their homeland. "Nyami" is a Senegalese word that was eventually shortened to "yam." Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams, and this is why!
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Sweet potatoes are eaten by people worldwide as they are a hearty crop that packs a lot of nutrition.
- It's best to store sweet potatoes in cool, dark, and dry places. They won't last as long in the fridge.
- Small, firm sweet potatoes tend to be sweeter and creamier. Large sweet potatoes contain more starch, as they've had more time to grow and develop the starches. Look for smooth, firm, even skin.
- Sweet potatoes should be cooked, not eaten raw. You can use them in many savory and sweet recipes.
- Sweet potatoes make an excellent side dish—you can bake, mash, or boil them—and their nutritional benefits are increased when combined with healthy fats, like avocado, butter, or olive oil!
- If they had their say, sweet potatoes might like to be known as everyday veggies rather than just for special occasions. For example, we in the United States eat more sweet potatoes around Thanksgiving than at any other time. But sweet potatoes are available year-round and should be enjoyed more often because of their benefits!
Nutrition
- Sweet potatoes are very nutritious! Their color can tell us which nutrients they contain (like many vegetables and fruits!).
- If a sweet potato is orange, it contains beta-carotene (other orange foods that contain this nutrient include carrots, shrimp, and oranges). Can you hear the name of a familiar vegetable in the word "beta-carotene?" Carrot! We know that beta-carotene is good for our eyes and skin. Have you ever been asked to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Beta-carotene is why!
- Sweet potatoes also have vitamin K, which helps our blood clot. When we get a cut, our blood clots to stop the bleeding, and vitamin K helps with this!
- We often talk about fiber when we reveal our Surprise Ingredients because vegetables and fruits contain a lot of fiber. Sweet potatoes are no exception. So what does fiber help with? Digestion! And which body parts are responsible for digestion? Many, but namely our stomach and intestines.
What is a Caffè Latte?
- Caffè latte (kahf-feh laht-teh), or just latte, is a coffee drink from Italy made with espresso and steamed milk. "Caffè" is Italian for "coffee," and "latte" is Italian for "milk."
- Espresso is both an Italian style of coffee and a method of brewing it. It is strong, black coffee made by forcing steam through finely-ground coffee beans. It is served in small espresso cups unless added to lattes or other coffee drinks. Expresso is popular in southern European countries like Italy and France.
- Caffè mocha is a variation of a latte that includes chocolate syrup or chocolate bar shavings.
Let's Learn About Italy!
- Italy became a unified country in 1861, only 150 years ago. It is sometimes called "bel paese" or "beautiful country."
- Italians invented the piano and the thermometer!
- In ancient Roman mythology, two twin brothers named Romulus and Remus founded Rome, Italy's capital city. The myth says the twins were abandoned and then discovered by a she-wolf before being found and raised by a shepherd and his wife. Eventually (and after many exciting adventures), they found themselves at the location of Palatine Hill, where Romulus built "Roma." The Italian wolf became Italy's unofficial national animal.
- In the 1930s and 40s, Mussolini, Italy's prime minister, and dictator tried to eliminate all foreign words from the Italian language. How did he do that? He just changed them! For example, in soccer, "goal" became "meta." Disney character names changed, too: Donald Duck became "Paperino;" Mickey Mouse became "Topolino;" and Goofy became "Pippo." Although they're not banned anymore, these words and names have stuck. So now if you go to the Italian Disneyland, called Gardaland Park, you will see Topolino and Pippo!
- About 60 million people call Italy home, and it is 116,350 square miles, slightly larger than the US state of Arizona. If you compare that to the United Kingdom, 67 million people live there, and it is about 94,350 square miles. So, the UK is smaller than Italy but has a bigger population!
- The Italian flag is green, white, and red. These colors represent hope, faith, and charity.
- The average Italian eats close to 55 pounds of pasta annually. If you think about how light pasta is, that is a considerable amount! There are more than 500 different types of pasta eaten in Italy today.
What's It Like to Be a Kid in Italy?
- Kids begin school at 6 years old. They grow up speaking Italian, but they learn English in school, so many become bilingual in Italian and English.
- The most popular sport for kids is football (soccer). The Italian word for soccer is "calcio," the same word they use for "kick." A favorite of younger kids is "Rody, the bouncing horse," a plastic horse that a small child can hop onto and bounce around the room. Rody was invented in Italy in 1984.
- The family ("la famiglia") is a central characteristic of Italian life. Children have great respect for their older relatives. It is traditional to name the first male child after the grandfather and the first female child after the grandmother.
- If kids live close to school, they can go home and have lunch with their families! Lunch at school might be pasta, meat with vegetables, a sandwich, or a salad with lots of ingredients. Families typically eat dinner later (7 to 8 pm), so kids end up staying up later, too!
- Between lunch and dinner, kids often enjoy "merenda," which is an afternoon snack that translates to "something that is deserved." It is really a mini-meal that can include both savory and sweet foods. Examples of savory foods are a salami or mortadella sandwich, a slice of rustic bread rubbed with a cut, raw tomato, or "pizza bianca" (white pizza without tomato sauce). Types of sweet foods eaten during merenda are "gelato" (a lower-fat type of ice cream), any kind of cake, or biscotti dipped in warm milk.
THYME for a Laugh
What do you call a sweet potato that is never motivated, but is content to watch others?
Speck-Tator
That's Berry Funny
What do you call people who like to drink hot chocolate all year long?
Cocoa-Nuts!
The Yolk's On You
Why do sweet potatoes make good detectives?
Because they keep their eyes peeled.
That's Berry Funny
Why shouldn’t you tell a secret on a farm?
Because the sweet potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears.
That's Berry Funny
What do you say to an angry sweet potato?
Anything, just butter him up first.
The Yolk's On You
What do you call a sweet potato that is reluctant to jump into boiling water?
Hez A Tator
That's Berry Funny
What do you call a sweet potato who spends a lot of time sitting and thinking?
MediTator!
That's Berry Funny
What do you call stolen cocoa?
Hot chocolate!
That's Berry Funny
What do you call a sheep covered in chocolate?
A Candy Baa!
