How to Cook Yams

How to Cook Yams How to Cook Yams If you have been wondering what is going to be your holiday meal and you are tired of cooking turkeys or meat then try out vegetables. They are not only healthy but can serve as a delicious side dish along with your special stuffed turkey and would add to your options. One of the vegetables that come in handy are yams. Yams are often taken as sweet potatoes. The reason being these vegetables can be replaced with ease in various dishes. Yams are rich with minerals and vitamins and are pretty healthy to eat. Yams have a barky skin and orange flesh and the flesh of African yams are either whitish or slightly purple in color. Yams can be cooked to perfection and go along a lavish meal as a side dish with people asking for it on your dinning table. Do not confuse sweet potatoes for yams and look for yams in specialty stores for your holiday meals. Cooking time for yams is usually a bit more, keeping in mind their barky skin and being root vegetables.

Many people simply bake the yams after piercing their body few times with a knife. You can add a pinch of cinnamon after cooking and peeling it off and place on you dinner table. Simply cooking and mashing yams and adding various vegetables are also common but if you want to be a bit creative with your cooking and increase the appetite of your naughty one to this simple looking vegetable, then you may like to try out different dishes.

During the holiday season, yams are much popular and are considered delicacies if cooked with cranberries. While your turkey gives a spicy flavor to the tongue, yams and cranberries can make it better as a side dish. Collect the ingredients that you would be requiring for the yams and cranberry casserole dish.

Take a can of yams (you can replace it with sweet potatoes). Make sure, the yams are not mashed and are in pieces.
Keep three cups of fresh whole cranberries.
One and half cups sugar.
One orange (keep it ready after peeling and slicing).
Half a cup pecans (either whole or chopped).
Half a cup orange juice.
One third tea spoon ground cinnamon.
One fourth tea spoon nutmeg.
One fourth tea spoon mace or extra nutmeg as per your choice.

How to cook

Take an average sized casserole. Grease it well and keep it ready.
Remove the yams from the can and drain any amount of extra liquid it has and keep them relatively drier. Keep it ready to be added later.
Add cranberries, orange slices, orange juice, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and mace in a mixing bowl and stir them well.
Put the mixture into the casserole.
Place the casserole in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Take the casserole out after half an hour and mix the yams.
Now replace the casserole into the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.

Take out the dish and serve on your dinner table. Also remember that you may add extra seasoning depending on your preferred flavors.