Rule 36, as promised, is all about…YAMS!

Yams are great for you, I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! They’re great for you and also my favourite type of carb! And definitely the one that I can’t live without! Luckily for me I don’t need to give it up because I NEED it! And so do you, especially if you like to lift (and who doesn’t like to lift?).

Before I give you AMAZING recipes, let’s talk about why you want them and anything else you need to know.

There are about 200 kinds of yams… You probably tried like 3 of them (sometime I just want to go travel in the world just so I can try all this weird and amazing things nature has to offer us).

It’s a member of the Dioscoreae family; a fact that probably doesn’t mean a thing to you but I enjoy knowing that so…suck it! J

Yams are good source of:

·         Vitamin B6

·         Potassium

·         Vitamin B1

·         Vitamin C

·         Vitamin B3

·         Fibre

·         Diosgenin

Now you probably wonder what the heck is diosgenin. Well, diosgenin is a hormone that helps to synthesise estrogen.

Yams are considered a superfood; especially for women. They don’t just help to regulate your cycle when you’re young - but they can prevent you from going crazy when you reach menopause.

The drug companies found out about it a few years ago and they started using yams to create medications to help you with that but you can get the same benefits by going to the grocery store and just eat the whole thing! Of course drugs companies would like it if you didn’t…

Yams are a key food to eat in a balance diet. You need carbs, you know it and I know it (especially if you trying to lose fat) and yams are a natural source of it. They’re great for balancing your blood sugar, which is the main thing you want to watch for when you plan your meals.

Now for your favourite part…RECIPES!

Roasted yams:

1 large yams cut into ¼ inch slices

2 tbsp olive oil.

Pre-heat the oven on 400F put the yams in a pan and drizzled olive oil on top. Bake for 45 min.

Tuscan Yam Salad:

Ingredients:

3 -4 medium yams, peeled and cubed
3 -4 roasted garlic (smashed)
1/3 cup diced onion
1  tomatoes, chopped finely
10 leaves fresh basil, shredded
1 dash fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of grated lemon rind
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup feta cheese, drained and crumbled

Directions:

1. Roast the yams with olive oil in a 375-400 oven until soft and a little brown on the outside, about 30 minutes (depending on how big the cubes are). Cool.
2. Allow the cheese to sit in the fridge at least an hour to let the flavours develop. Add pine nuts just before serving to keep them crunchy.

Raw Yam Pie:

Almond Date Crust
1 1/4 Cup almonds that have been soaked overnight and dehydrated in sun or dehydrator
1 Cup date pieces
1 Tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash of cinnamon

In a food processor, process nuts until coarsely ground, add dates and process until finely ground and thoroughly mixed. With processor running, add water, vanilla, and cinnamon. When mixture is holding together, press into pie plate.

Filling
6 small medium yams, scrubbed, peeled and cut up
3/4 Cup cut up pitted dates (soak whole dates for 20 minutes before pitting and cutting up)
1/4 Cup raisins (soak for 20 minutes)
1/2 Cup Pine Nuts (soaked 5-10 minutes)
1/8 teaspoon 5 spice powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Garam Masala (if not available use either nutmeg or cloves or additional 5 spice powder)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

While preparing yams, soak dates and raisins in small amount of water. Soak pine nuts and rinse. Put yams through Champion with blank, alternating with fruit and nuts. It should amount to about 4 cups. (If not, add more yam and put all through Champion again.) Put mixture in food processor. Add spices and vanilla. Be patient with processing, the smoother the better. After 5-6 minutes, if not very smooth add a small amount of raisin soak water, apple juice or orange juice to the mixture so it will process to a smooth puree. Pour into crust immediately. Store in refrigerator

African Peanut Yam Soup:

Ingredient:

8 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons minced ginger
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 medium yams, roughly chopped
1 (14 ounce) can pineapple
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
5 tablespoons natural smooth peanut butter
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juice of
favorite hot sauce, to taste

Direction:

·         Heat stock. I actually only use about 4 cups of water, because I like my soup thick.

·         In a big soup pot, heat oil. Saute onions with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger and spices and sauté until everything's soft.

·         Stir in red peppers and yams, cooking them until they start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add water, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until yams are tender.

·         Add pineapple with juice, tomatoes and peanut butter and simmer 30 minutes. Add stock if needed. 

·         Purée the soup until smooth. I just use my blender.

·         Season to taste with more salt, pineapple juice and/or hot sauce. Just before serving, add chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice.

And that’s it for now… I hope you’ve learned something new and got some more ideas to make your meals cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable!

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014