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Enjoy the Holidays: Preparing Healthy and Safe Meals!

Published:

November 18, 2011

Special holiday series – Blog 3 of 5

Starting to plan your holiday menu? USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen and I want to help. This week we are providing low-cost holiday recipes that incorporate simple food safety tips to help you prepare healthy and safe holiday meals. So far, we’ve posted delicious turkey and stuffing recipes. Today we’re featuring a Baked Apples and Sweet Potatoes recipe, which will make a great side dish for any occasion. Make sure to look for our next blog which will feature another low-cost, easy to prepare –recipe—Green Bean Sauté. Enjoy!!

Baked Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

5 cooked sweet potatoes
4 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup margarine
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons honey

Instructions:

Wash hands and clean your work area.
Boil 5 sweet potatoes in water until they are almost tender.
After the sweet potatoes cool, peel and slice them.
Peel the apples. Remove the cores, and slice the apples.
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Grease the casserole dish with butter or margarine.
Put a layer of sweet potatoes on the bottom of the dish.
Add a layer of apple slices.
Add some sugar, salt, and tiny pieces of margarine to the apple layer.
Repeat steps 6, 7, and 8 to make more layers of sweet potatoes, apples, and sugar/salt.
On the top layer of apples, sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar and margarine pieces.
Sprinkle the top layer with nutmeg.
Mix the hot water and honey together. Pour the mix over the top layer.
Bake for about 30 minutes until apples are tender.
Hold food hot after cooking (at 140 ˚F or above), by using a heat source such as an oven, chafing dish, warming tray, or slow cooker.
If not serving right away, refrigerate the casserole within 2 hours of cooking. Use leftovers within 3 to 4 days or freeze for 3 to 4 months.