Sweet Potato Stuffing

bag of sweet potatoesIf you love stuffing on your holiday table, yet miss out on the experience, try the following recipe to help deter the craving. This alternative is much healthier than traditional stuffing, sweet potatoes, the main ingredient, are overflowing in the market this time of year.

One sweet potato provides more than 8,800 IU of vitamin A, or about twice the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), yet it contains only 141 calories. The sweet potato provides 42 percent of the RDA for vitamin C, 6 percent of the RDA for calcium, 10 percent of the RDA for iron, and 8 percent of the RDA for thiamine. This complex carbohydrate food is also a great source of fiber and beta-carotene, which may be a factor in reducing the risk of certain cancers.

 

Ingredients

  • 6 sweet potatoes

  • 1 pound wild rice

  • 16 ounces mix of fresh figs and raisins, chopped into small chunks.

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  2. Rinse and dry potatoes. Using a fork, poke them with several sets of holes. Grease potatoes to make peeling easier. Wrap each potato separately in foil and bake for 45 minutes. When ready, unwrap potatoes and let cool enough to be able to hold and peel. Chop peeled potatoes into ½ inch chunks.

  3. Boil 4 cups salted water. Add wild rice; turn heat down to a gentle boil; and cook, covered, until tender. At high altitude, expect this to take approximately 25 minutes. (Lower altitudes can use 3½ cups water and 15-20 minute cooking time). Rice is done when water is absorbed.

  4. Heat butter in a small pan, and cook garlic over medium heat, stirring often.

  5. Combine and stir cooked potatoes, cooked rice, figs, raisins and garlic with butter. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

 

Hints

  • Most sweet potato dishes freeze well. Save time by making a dish to serve and one to store in the freezer.

  • Store uncooked sweet potatoes in an unrefrigerated dry bin. Do NOT refrigerate! Temperatures below 55 degrees F will chill this tropical vegetable, giving it a hard core and an undesirable taste when cooked.

 

Nutrition Information

  • Serves: 6

  • Calories: 583

  • Fat: 5 gm

  • Protein: 15 gm

  • Carbohydrate: 126 gm

  • Dietary Fiber: 11 gm

  • Cholesterol: 10 mg

  • Sodium: 66 mg

 

This information has been approved by Clinical Nutrition Services (February 2012). For specific diet information tailored to your needs, we recommend you consult with one of our registered dietitians.