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By Dana Jacobi, AICR
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Sliced
Sweet Potatoes Sweet
Potato~Cranberry Whipped
Sweet Potatoes
About Holly Clegg The Center for Science in the Public Interest ranked sweet potatoes (or yams) as the #1 most nutritional vegetable. It's only natural that Holly Clegg would see Louisiana Yams as a perfect fit for her Trim&Terrific™ approach to cooking. Holly is a renowned cookbook author and the spokesperson for Louisiana Sweet Potatoes. She is the author of a series of Trim&Terrific™ cookbooks, which focus on quick and healthy recipes, as well as Meals on the Move ~ Rush Hour Recipes, Eating Well Through Cancer, The Holly Clegg Trim&Terrific™ Cookbook, and her latest, Holly Clegg's Trim&Terrific™ Home Entertaining the Easy Way. You can contact Holly at www.hollyclegg.com for more information about her books as well as her many other media projects and appearances.
Sweet Potato Lore Lowly ingredients never deterred the Southern cook from having a pie when the family clamored for one. Pies utilizing beans or Irish potatoes sometimes have "Poor Man's . . ." in the title, but sweet potatoes were used without apology of any kind. Oatmeal, substituted for pecans, gave body to an old-fashioned Poor Man's Pecan Pie. Vinegar or buttermilk gave tartness to non-lemon pies on occasion. Our vegetable pie tradition reaches back to England, but sweet potato, pumpkin, and squash pies must be labeled "Made in America."
A traveler in south central Mississippi said that he "ate sweet potatoes with wild turkeys and various other meats, had a potato pie for dessert and roasted potatoes offered to him as a side dish, drank sweet potato coffee and sweet potato home brew, had his horse fed on sweet potatoes and sweet potato vines, and when he retired, he slept on a mattress stuffed with sweet potato vines and dreamed he was a sweet potato that someone was digging up." ~From Eating, Drinking and Visiting in the South, by Joe Gray Taylor, 1982.
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From
Thanksgiving through Christmas, whipped sweet potatoes and candied yams are an
indispensable part of the holiday table. These dishes also perpetuate a confusion that has
been going on for centuries. Supermarket bins are heaped with chubby and bulging or tapering and corkscrew-shaped tubers, in colors ranging from rose and copper to purple. They are labeled "yams" – but they are all sweet potatoes. Americans have confused the two for several hundred years. Jessica Harris, author of The African Table, explains that the mix-up began when African slaves in the Caribbean took to calling the local tubers nyami, the Senegalese word for "to eat." In botanical terms, they were sweet potatoes, members of the morning glory family, not yams, which belong to a different genus altogether. Supermarkets feature sweet potato varieties like Jewel, Beauregard and Garnet, which are inaccurately called "yams." These corkscrew-type shaped tubers have bronze and copper skins and bright orange flesh. What are sold as "sweet potatoes" are more regularly-shaped. They have whitish-to-bright yellow flesh that is dry and dense when cooked. The bright orange meat inside so-called yams is moist, especially when baked or boiled and, when puréed, is light, creamy and sugar-sweet. Most holiday recipes using yams call for adding generous amounts of butter and sugar, plus a topping of even sweeter marshmallows, reflecting America's famous sweet tooth. I'd like to suggest a pre-holiday test to show that those sweet potatoes posing as yams do not need the extra sugar and fat. They are fine left almost naturel. Prove this for yourself by trying these whipped sweets topped with sliced apples. Baking them concentrates their considerable sweetness. A bit of maple syrup added as you purée them enhances this further. Just a bit of butter provides richness, without adding a load of calories or cholesterol. Most people find this colorful and more healthful casserole as good or better than what they have served for years. If your family insists on marshmallows, you can indulge them by sprinkling a cup of the miniature kind over the apples. AICR Dana Jacobi is the author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR's book, Stopping Cancer Before It Starts.
WHIPPED
SWEET POTATOES WITH APPLES
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a cup in the microwave. Bake yams until soft, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on size. Peel yams as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place flesh in a food processor or large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and maple syrup to hot yams. Process to purée, or mash with a fork, until yams are smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread yams into prepared baking dish, making an even layer. Peel, halve and core apple. Place each half cut-side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into thin slices. Arrange slices in overlapping rows to cover yams. Brush apples lightly with the melted butter. Bake uncovered until yams are heated through and apples have softened, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 Servings. Note: Before sending Emails about the Carb counts, take a look at the low fat and sugars in this recipe! You'll be OK if you make allowances for this delicious treat in your daily meal plan. Per Serving: 293 Cal; Total Fat 4 g (Sat Fat 3 g); 61 g Carb; 11 mg Cholesterol; 60 mg Sodium; 1,650 mg Potassium; 3 g Protein; 9 g Dietary Fiber; 5 g Sugars. Exchanges: 4 Bread/Starch OR 3.5 Other Carb; 1 Fat.
CRANBERRY
YAM BREAD 2 large eggs, slightly beaten Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, yams and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, allspice, and baking soda. Make a well in the center. Pour yam mixture into well. Mix just until moistened. Stir in cranberries. Spoon better into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Makes 1 Loaf (12 Slices). Per Slice: 237 Cal; 7 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat); 41 g Carb; 35 mg Cholesterol; 132 mg Sodium; 3 g Protein; 1 g Dietary Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1-1/2 Other Carb; 1 Fat.
YAM
AND BLACK BEAN WRAPS 1 sweet potato (yam), peeled and shredded,
(about 1 cup) In a skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté shredded yams over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Transfer to bowl. In same skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté red onion for about 5 minutes undil tender. Add sautéed onion, black beans, green onions, and sunflower seeds to shredded yams, making well. In a small bowl, mix together dressing and honey and toss with yam mixture to coat. Fill warmed tortillas and wrap. Makes 6 Wraps. Per Serving or Wrap: 203 Cal; 6 g Total Fat; 32 g Carb; 7 g Protein, 33 mg Cholesterol; 189 mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1/2 Meat; 1 Fat.
HEAVENLY
YAM DELIGHT 1 cup all-purpose flour Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, pecans and margarine. Press into bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. In mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar until creamy. Fold in 3/4 cup whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust. In mixing bowl, beat sweet potatoes, sugar, and cinnamon until smooth. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 16 Servings. Per Serving: 206 Cal; 6 g Total Fat; 34 g Carb; 1 mg Cholesterol; 118 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carb; 1 Fat.
QUICK
SWEET POTATO PIE 1 cup fresh sweet potatoes (yams), cooked
and mashed, OR, Preheat oven to 375°F. In mixing bowl, beat together mashed sweet potatoes, margarine, egg, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, evaporated skim milk and vanilla until creamy. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 279 Cal; 13 g Total Fat; 36 g Carb; 261 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein. Exchanges: 2 Starch; 2 Fat.
YAMMY MUFFINS 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or coat with vegetable spray. In large bowl, combine together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and granulated sugar, mixing well. In another bowl, combine the milk, mashed yams, orange rind, orange juice, egg, egg white, oil and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until muffins are done. Makes 18-20 Muffins. Note: Nutritional Values calculated for 18 Muffins.. Per Muffin: 130 Cal; 4 g Total Fat (<0.5 g Sat Fat): 20 g Carb; 12 mg Cholesterol; 106 mg Sodium; 2 g Protein; 1 g Dietary Fiber; 9 g Sugars. Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch; 1/2 Other Carb (Veg/Fruit); 1 Fat.
CREAM
OF YAM AND SPINACH SOUP 1 cup chopped onion In a large heavy pot, coated with nonstick cooking spray, and over a medium-high heat, cook the onion, celery, red bell pepper and garlic until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and gradually add the chicken broth, whisking until the soup is blended. Add the sweet potatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook approximately 20 minutes* or until the potatoes are very tender. Add the spinach, milk, green onion stems, salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted and soup well-heated and thickened, about 5 minutes. Makes 8 Servings. *Note: If using canned yams, cut in small chunks and stir in at the end of cooking. Per Serving: 208 Cal; 1 g Total Fat (0 g Sat Fat); 40 g Carb; 1 mg Cholesterol; 197 mg Sodium; 11 g Protein. Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1/2 Milk or Other Carb.
SOUTHWESTERN
PORK STEW 1-3/4 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
and cut into 1-inch Toss pork with flour to coat. In a large pot coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown pork over medium-high heat about 5 to 7 minutes. Add onions and cook until tender. Add broth, tomatoes and green chilies, sweet potatoes, chili powder, cumin, diced green chilies and corn. Bring mixture to a boil; lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender and pork is done, approximately 45 minutes.* If stew gets too thick, add more chicken broth. Season to taste. Makes 8 Servings. *Note: If using canned yams, cut in small chunks and stir in at the end of cooking; heat through. Per Serving: 293 Cal; 5 g Total Fat; 38 g Carb; 71 mg Cholesterol; 290 mg Sodium; 27 g Protein. Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1 Veg; 4 Very Lean Meat; 1 Fat. BOURBON
MASHED SWEET POTATOES 4 cups fresh sweet potatoes (yams) cooked
and mashed Preheat oven to 350°F. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and blend until creamy. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Makes 10 Servings. Per Serving: 184 Cal; 3 g Total Fat; 37 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 60 mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2-1/2 Starch; 1 Fat.
SLICED
SWEET POTATOES AND ONIONS 1 large onion, thinly sliced into rings Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 2-quart oblong baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange onion slices in baking dish; sprinkle with brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Layer sweet potato slices over onion, overlapping slices. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, light margarine and thyme. Pour over sweet potato and onion slices. Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour, or until tender. Makes 6 Servings. Per Serving: 221 Cal; 6 g Total Fat; 43 g Carb; 0 mg Cholesterol; 307 mg Sodium; 2 g Protein. Exchanges: 3 Bread/Starch; 1 Fat.
SWEET
POTATO CRANBERRY GALETTE 2 Tbsp margarine or butter Preheat oven to 400°F. In a skillet, heat margarine and olive oil and sauté onions until very tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Peel potatoes and slice very thin, preferably with a food processor. Spoon one Tablespoon of cranberry mixture in center of cake pan. Arrange one-third (1/3) of potato slices, in concentric circles, overlapping in bottom of pan. Spread half of cranberry mixture over potatoes. Top with another 1/3 potato slices, arranged in same manner. Top with remaining cranberry mixture and end with potatoes. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover potatoes tightly. Bake for 40 minutes in preheated oven; uncover and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until brown and crisp on top and potatoes are tender. Place serving plate on cake pan and invert. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 236 Cal; 5 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat); 47 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 53 mg Sodium; 2 g Protein; 5 g Dietary Fiber. Exchanges: 2 Bread/Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1 Fat.
YAM
CORNBREAD STUFFING 2 cups fresh sweet potatoes (yams), peeled
and chopped In a large skillet, cook sweet potatoes, onion and celery in margarine for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Spoon mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in parsley and ginger. Add cornbread and pecans. Toss gently to coat. Add enough chicken broth to moisten. Place stuffing in a casserole dish which has been sprayed with nonstick coating. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until heated through. Makes about 6 cups (12 1/2-cup servings). Per Serving: 171 Cal; 7 g Total Fat; 25 g Carb; 26 mg Cholesterol; 271 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein. Exchanges: 2 Bread/Starch; 1 Fat.
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