Like a lot of people, I indulged during the holidays. I ate and drank more than my share of Champagne cocktails, Cheese Log, Christmas butter cookies and mince tarts.
Today on January 6—Three Kings Day and officially the last day of Christmas—my body is begging for a gastronomic mercy.
So I’m eating lots of yogurt and fresh fruit. And I’m whipping up healthy vegetable side dishes—in batches big enough to assure leftovers for snacks.
The following nutritious and delicious yam recipe is inspired by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, my favorite New Jersey politician. A hands-on, ward-walking, snow-shoveling community leader, Mayor Booker is also part of my Twitter community.
I look forward to the dynamic mayor’s civic-minded tweets—and to watching him leverage social media to connect with neighbors, fight crime, strengthen community and build business in Newark.
Mayor Booker’s updates give me an inside look at local politics—the way politics should be run. In September, I was thrilled when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg—no doubt inspired by Mayor Booker’s activism—donated $100 million to Newark schools.
During the December 2010 Snowpocalypse, Mayor Booker tweeted to—and responded to tweets from—Newarkers stranded in the storm. He made it his business to connect, send help and show up in person to shovel snow.
Let’s Move! With real-time mayoral tweets!
A few days ago, Mayor Booker was in the news again. He accepted First Lady Michelle Obama’s invitation to co-chair a nutrition and fitness campaign, Let’s Move! But the honest mayor made a confession: He owned to feeling hypocrisy because of his own recent weight gain.
In order to “walk his talk,” Mayor Booker vowed to shed 47 pounds by his next birthday, April 27, 2011. To strengthen his resolve—and to help others in their efforts to eat better and become more fit—the mayor plans to tweet and update his weight loss efforts on Twitter and Facebook.
“Dieting does not work. It never has for me,” wrote Mayor Booker in a recent blog post. Like several members of my family, Mayor Booker is a vegetarian “…working on finding an eating regimen that is sustainable for the long term.”
Your Honor, allow me to introduce you to the healthy, tasty and eminently sustainable yam.
Super tuber for a super mayor
Yams—mashed, baked, oven-fried and more—are so delicious you could easily forget they’re packed with nutrients. These fat-free super tubers are filled with potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber.
In addition to making a luscious side with meals, yams make a terrific between-meal snack. One 150-calorie Mayor Booker Caramelized Roasted Yam satisfies those salty-sweet food cravings you have, fills you up—and keeps you feeling full for hours.
I make a big pan of these yams to have plenty on hand for after school munching. My family and I zap the yams for a few seconds in the microwave to bring out their rich, caramel-y goodness.
Mayor Booker, may I respectfully suggest you do the same? You are so busy caring for the people of Newark, perhaps you forget you need to care for yourself as well. Please take a few minutes to prepare this dish named in your honor: Just peel and slice yams, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with crushed garlic, raw sugar, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake.
That’s it.
While you’re reading briefs, writing blog posts or tweeting, the yams roast and glaze. You can pack a few in a reusable glass food container before you head out to shovel snow, run community meetings or revitalize Newark’s educational system.
I predict by April 27 you will be healthier, happier and yes, 47 pounds thinner.
Mayor Booker’s Caramelized Roasted Yams
5 medium yams, peeled and thickly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or sweet butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons Demerara, raw or brown sugar
Black pepper and Kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel and cut yams into 1/2” slices.
- Place slices in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle yams with oil or butter and sprinkle with crushed garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Toss yams to coat with ingredients and rearrange in a single layer.
- Cover pan with foil. As you can see in the above photo, I reuse foil repeatedly!
- Slide pan into oven and bake for 25 minutes. Take pan from oven and remove foil. With a spatula, turn over the yam slices. Return yams to oven without foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until glazed and caramelized.
Serves 5.
Photo of Cory Booker courtesy of Wikimedia.
I bake/roast yams a lot. Haven’t ever used the sugar addition though. I like to use a dipping sauce of plain yogurt, cumin and lime juice.
@Catherine–Wow, your sauce sounds like a flavor explosion. Will definitely give it try!
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks! My yams came out perfectly carmelized. I have tried to replicate so many candied yams recipes the past couple years, but they were all smothered with sugar or syrup. All I wanted was a solid yam with a little carmelization around the potatos. Your recipe is my keeper. I used Splenda brown sugar and olive oil. Delicious!
Andrea
@Andrea: I know exactly what you mean about overly sugary candied yams. For years I disliked yams for just that reason. I’m glad the recipe worked well for you!