Healthy Sweet Potato Side Dish Recipe

(WTNH)-- When Thanksgiving rolls around it's really easy to pack on the pounds. However, with a little planning, you can create healthy and delicious dishes that won't have your waistline bulging.

Wendy Battles, The Clean Eating Coach, visited "Good Morning Connecticut " to show us how to make a sweet potato dish without marshmallows. She calls it the "Twice-Baked Garlic and Sweet Potatoes."

Wendy says "this healthy side dish features antioxidant rich sweet potatoes roasted to perfection bringing out their natural, rich flavor.  Instead of loading up on sweeteners, this clean eating version includes fresh herbs, low-fat coconut milk and fresh garlic - lots of flavor without tons of calories."

"This easy-to-make recipe can even be made a day or two in advance to simplify your holiday preparations. This is a kid-friendly dish that the whole family will enjoy."

Twice Baked Garlic and Herb Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 pounds sweet potatoes
1 head garlic, cloves separated and unpeeled ½ cup lite coconut milk
1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh chopped sage
1 tbsp. 5 spice powder
½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.    Thoroughly scrub sweet potatoes and prick each sweet potato several
times with a fork. Place on a cookie sheet and roast approximately one hour, until soft.
3.    On a separate sheet, place garlic cloves, loosely wrapped in aluminum
foil.  Roast for approximately 30 minutes until tender and slightly browned.
4.    Let garlic cloves cool and then peel.
5.    Peel sweet potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
6.    Add roasted garlic, coconut milk, rosemary, sage, 5 spice powder and salt.
7.    Use a potato masher to mash ingredients or alternatively, an immersion
blender, until the desired consistency is reached.
8.    Place in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degree for approximately 30
minutes or until hot.
9.    Garnish with a few rosemary sprigs.


Visit Wendy's website, www.DontWorryGetHealthy.com for more ideas to practice healthy, clean eating during the holiday season.



Wendy Battles, MA, HHC
The Clean Eating Coach
Healthy Endeavors
410 State Street
North, Haven, CT 06473

www.DontWorryGetHealthy.com
203.641.0653