Baked yams are healthy and delicious. Yams contain Vitamins A, B and C as well as Potassium and Fiber. Most people enjoy yams during the holiday season, but they are great anytime of the year. I like to have them at least once a week for dinner. They are easy to prepare. Try these 2 recipes below:
Carole’s Yam (Basic) Recipe (doubled recipe for more servings shown in parenthesis)
4 (8) Yams
1/4 (1/2) cup of Orange Juice
1/8 (1/4) cup of Pure Maple Syrup (fake syrup is corn syrup so stick with “pure maple” for added health benefits to this recipe)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and scrub yams. Foil line a baking pan then spray with cooking spray, or, lightly spread a little olive oil on top of foil. Place yams in the dish. Pierce each yam with a knife 2 times on each side. Bake for one hour. Let yams cool. (They can burst if you forget to pierce them just like regular potatoes).
Once cooled, remove the skin. Cut to the desired size. Line a pan with foil, again, season with either cooking spray or olive oil. Add the yams, then, drizzle with the orange juice and maple syrup. *You can mash slightly if you wish, or keep them the same size. Bake at a 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes, gently stirring at 15 minutes/half way through, to mix the flavors. Depending on your oven you may need more or slightly less time.
*You can wash then peel the yams first; however, they tend to get very brown without the skin and easily burn.
Carole's Candied Yams (Alternative sweeter recipe): This will yield a higher glycemic/carb value to your final product; however, it is a bit fancier and sweeter for a holiday or special occasion. Prepare the basic recipe as above, plus, add the following to the yam, orange juice and maple syrup step:
1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 - 1/3 cup of miniature marshmallows
Add the pineapple and mandarin oranges and mix/spread evenly with the yams, orange juice and maple syrup mixture in the first recipe.Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, then, add the miniature marshmallows and bake for another 10 minutes. Happy (and healthy) Eating!
