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Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(ARA) – Now that the holiday season is over, you may be feeling a bit guilty about all the cookies and cake you ate. According to the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 51 percent of annual weight gain happens during the six-week holiday season.
So what do you do now? Stick with your New Year's resolution to start eating better; but that doesn't mean you have to starve off the sweets. Instead of preparing desserts with calorie-laden ingredients, use nutritionally beneficial foods such as the sweet potato.
The sweet potato contains vitamins A, C and B6; four times the recommended amount of beta-carotene; iron, potassium and fiber. Sweet potatoes are also low in fat and sodium. In fact, the Center for Science in the Public Interest named sweet potatoes the most nutritious vegetable.
An excellent dessert recipe that is low in fat is Sweet Potato Flan. This flavorful, nutritional dish is the perfect addition to any meal, particularly one at a social gathering. Sweet Potato Flan is light, decadent and easy to prepare. For the sweetest of sweet potatoes, try using fresh or canned Louisiana sweet potatoes to prepare this recipe.
*Sweet Potato Flan
(makes 8 to 10 servings)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes, (yams) drained and mashed or 1 cup mashed fresh sweet potatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (12-ounce) can fat free evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
berries for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place sugar in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
Immediately pour into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with nonstick cooking spray, tipping pan quickly until caramelized sugar coats bottom of pan. In food processor or mixer, mix together sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, egg whites and vanilla until blended. Pour into prepared pan.
Place in baking dish large enough to hold the 9-inch round pan and add hot water to dish until one inch deep. Carefully place in oven and bake for one hour to one hour and 15 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove pan from water, cool pan completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours. Loosen edge of flan with a knife and invert flan on larger serving plate. Pour the remaining caramelized syrup over the flan. Garnish with berries.
For more information about Louisiana sweet potatoes, visit www.sweetpotato.org or write to the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, P.O. Box 2550, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2550. Free recipes and nutritional information about sweet potatoes are also available on the Web site, courtesy of the commission. Courtesy of ARA Content
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