Candied Yams

Here is my grandmother’s recipe for Candied Yams. The oranges are a beautiful complement to the sweet potatoes, they brighten the naturally sweet taste of this highly nutritious tuber.

Sweet potatoes are naturally low in Sodium, and are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. They also a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, vitamin C and Manganese.

Another look at the nutritional benefits of the sweet potato:

The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories!

Now keep in mind the above information is just for the sweet potato itself and does not include any add-ins like in the recipe that follows! Normally, when I make sweet potatoes, I just bake them and eat them plain. Although I do also like them with sugar-free maple syrup, but I am trying to cut out the “artificial” foods in my diet (tips anyone on banishing diet soda for good…a diet soda rehab maybe?? LOL). I think Agave Nectar would be nice to try as it is lower on the glycemic index than pure maple syrup and it is a natural food. Maybe even add a drop of Pure Maple Extract to it for that maple flavor!

Anyhoo, this recipe makes me laugh. There has been a long standing argument between my mom and my dad over the usage of the word “yam.” My mom calls them yams, which I think is common in the southern part of the United States (she is from Alabama), but my dad is quick to remind her that they are in fact NOT yams but sweet potatoes. He is actually correct and if you are interested in the differences between the two tubers (that are not even distantly related) click here.

It was always funny to watch my dad as he would begin to twitch at the improper usage of the word yam. He reminds me of the character Arthur Spooner, played by Jerry Stiller, in the The King of Queens. Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) would be my mom. 😀

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQdWBsGE6uY&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Sorry, couldn’t help myself! I hope the video clip added a giggle to your day!

Candied “Yams”

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 Oranges, sliced into circles

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Orange Juice

GF Mini Marshmallows

I made mine in a slow-cooker, but you could also bake them in the oven at 350° for about 30 minutes.

• Boil (I steamed mine to keep the nutritional content) sweet potato slices until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

• In the bottom of your baking dish (or slow-cooker) squeeze the juice out of one of your oranges then lay the slices on the bottom of the dish.

• Add half of your sweet potato slices, then repeat the process with the remaining orange slices and sweet potatoes.

• In a separate bowl; add the brown sugar and orange juice, mix. Drizzle the brown sugar/orange juice mixture over the sweet potatoes and orange slices.

• Cover and bake for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft.

• Remove from the oven, top with mini marshmallows and return to the oven, uncovered, for about 15 minutes more, or until the marshmallows are melted and golden brown.

If you use a slow cooker: I set mine to low for a couple of hours before adding the marshmallows, then re-covered and switched the setting to warm until the marshmallows were melted.