Yam recipes

Plum tuna, canned tuna warmed in a sweet-tangy plum jam sauce spiked with ginger, garlic and soy, served over rice with nuts, parsley and coconut on top. A retro pantry dinner that cooks in 30 minutes.

Apple pie with apricot glaze layers tart Granny Smith apples over a custard pastry cream and finishes with a layer of apricot preserves under the top crust. A French-style twist on classic American apple pie.

Velvet corn soup is a classic Chinese egg drop soup with creamed corn, chicken broth, fresh ginger, and dry sherry, thickened with cornstarch and swirled with frothy egg whites.

If you're busy during the day, use the crockpot to make this easy and scrumptious meal.

Ham and broccoli stir-fry in a savory oyster sauce with rice wine, ginger, and toasted walnuts. A quick Chinese-inspired wok dish served over gingered rice.

Fried shrimp wonton soup with crispy golden wontons, a cornstarch-thickened chicken broth, silky egg white ribbons, and smoky Smithfield ham garnish. A banquet-style Chinese soup.

I used Cornish Game Hens, but you could also use a cut up chicken. If you can't get winter melon, watermelon will work. Winter melon is white, very mild tasting and a tad denser than watermelon. I think you could get away using something like Honeydew too.

A slow-simmered minestrone built on beef bone and ham hock broth with kidney beans, broken lasagna noodles, cabbage, and crumbled blue cheese. Rich, meaty, and deeply satisfying.

Crispy phyllo crust filled with tofu-apricot cream spiked with honey, topped with glazed canned apricots and optional chocolate drizzle.

Authentic Tuscan bean soup with cannellini, savoy cabbage, fresh herbs, and a rich ham and salt pork soffritto. Ladled over toasted Italian bread with a drizzle of olive oil.

A spicy, but savory dish made with pinto beans and smoked ham that tastes great after being left to simmer in a crockpot.

Savory Southwest corn muffins stuffed with diced ham, pepper jack cheese, green chiles, and red bell pepper. Hearty enough for a meal with a side salad.

Homemade potato gnocchi stuffed with your choice of ricotta-basil-walnut or ham and Parmesan filling, boiled and served with tomato sauce. Italian comfort food from scratch.

Hearty Portuguese soup with smoked ham shanks, linguica sausage, kidney beans, cabbage, and potatoes in a tomato broth. A loaded one-pot meal built on smoky ham stock.

Low-fat no-bake cheesecake built on cottage cheese and gelatin, topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries. Heart-shaped Valentine's-ready dessert that skips the cream cheese and the oven.

Light yet delicious chocolate raspberry roll cake. The creamy and fruity filling is made with skim ricotta cheese and fresh raspberries, the cake is made with flour, cocoa powder and egg substitute. It's much lighter than a classic roll cake, but without losing any flavor.