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Yams themselves are actually quite healthy, as are sweet potatoes. It’s all the crap people pile on top of them that makes them end up being calorie killers on Thanksgiving: marshmallows, sugar, butter, etc.
Those nasty (ok, delicious but dangerous) toppings are not necessary to make this mouthwatering dish. With a few simple substitutions you can enjoy the sweetness of the traditional dish and over a hundred calories. And, because I’m always looking to take my recipes to the limit, I’ve even come up with a low-calorie alternative to your starchy yams: butternut squash.
Butternut squash is always a great sub for sweet potatoes/yams (remember my butternut squash fries).
In this recipe, they will cut your calories in half, before we even get to the toppings. Your average candied yams recipe rings in at about 200 calories per half cup, while this one will only cost you a mere 20 for the same portion. Butternut squash is also packed with vitamins like beta-carotene (fights cancer and heart disease). And again, these are so easy to make and require very few ingredients.
In this recipe, they will cut your calories in half, before we even get to the toppings. Your average candied yams recipe rings in at about 200 calories per half cup, while this one will only cost you a mere 20 for the same portion. Butternut squash is also packed with vitamins like beta-carotene (fights cancer and heart disease). And again, these are so easy to make and require very few ingredients.
Calorie-Cutting Candied “Yams”
Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
Stevia (or another calorie-free sugar)
2 Tbs. Cinnamon
1 Tbs. Nutmeg
Cooking Spray
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel butternut squash and cut into large cubes. Tip: If your knife isn't very sharp, this will be difficult. Pop the squash in the microwave for a minute or two to loosen it up.
3. Coat a baking dish in cooking spray (I use Olive Oil spray from Trader Joes). Place squash in the dish and spray again.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg over the squash.
5. Bake for about an hour, flipping half way through, and spraying again.
6. Enjoy!
Total Calories: 40 per cup
This recipe seriously couldn't be easier.
Butternut Squash is naturally sweet, so when you bake it, the squash releases it's own juices. Mixed with your sugar and spices, it will get more gooey and caramelized by the day. I put the leftovers in a tupperware and ate them straight out of the refrigerator the next day. They tasted like they had been doused in syrup, yum.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my last low-cal Thanksgiving recipe before the big day!
And follow me on Twitter @WhitneyLEnglish
4. Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg over the squash.
6. Enjoy!
This recipe seriously couldn't be easier.
Butternut Squash is naturally sweet, so when you bake it, the squash releases it's own juices. Mixed with your sugar and spices, it will get more gooey and caramelized by the day. I put the leftovers in a tupperware and ate them straight out of the refrigerator the next day. They tasted like they had been doused in syrup, yum.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my last low-cal Thanksgiving recipe before the big day!
And follow me on Twitter @WhitneyLEnglish
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