Looking to celebrate Thanksgiving without packing on the pounds – or clogging up the arteries with fat and sugar? Dr. Martha Howard, who maintains a blog focused on allergies at www.chicagohealers.com, shared two sweet potato recipes that can make this Thanksgiving a healthy one!

Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrition, particularly vitamin A, potassium, vitamin C and vitamins B5 and B6. They also offer a variety of powerful
disease-fighting phytochemicals, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Here are two healthy options for this Thanksgiving:

“Candied” Sweet Potatoes
4 Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Agave Nectar
Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub 4 large sweet potatoes, pat dry and oil lightly with olive oil. Pierce with a fork and cook on a rack in a pan lined with foil or parchment paper to catch drippings for 1 to 1¼ hours, or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Let potatoes cool slightly and cut in half lengthwise.  Drizzle on a small amount (about a quarter teaspoon per potato) of agave nectar and sprinkle with a small amount of cinnamon.  (You can also use a little fresh grated ginger and/or shredded coconut for a wonderful tropical taste.)  Slide under the broiler and watch carefully, remove when light brown and bubbly, and serve.

“Mom’s”  Sweet Potato, Pineapple, Marshmallow Casserole
4 Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Organic Pineapple (Canned in its own juice)
Butter
Agave Nectar
Salt
Mini Marshmallows

Set oven at 375 degrees. Cook sweet potatoes as in the “Candied” Sweet Potato recipe above. Let cool, and then peel and mash. Lightly oil a casserole dish and alternate layers of sweet potato with layers of pineapple chunks and about one teaspoon of melted butter drizzled over each layer. Also, sprinkle ¼-1/2 teaspoon of salt evenly over each layer.

Arrange pineapple chunks on the top of the casserole, and arrange a half cup of mini marshmallows around the top between the pineapple chunks.

Combine a teaspoon and a half of agave nectar and a teaspoon and a half of melted butterand drizzle over the top.  Cook at 375 for about 30 minutes, until the marshmallows are melted and the top is golden brown.