Sweet Potato Casserole

If I had to describe the way I eat, it’s paleo-ish, with ayurvedic influences, and always concerned with blood sugar regulation. When my mom told me she was in charge of making the sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving but that her recipe included cookies, I knew I had to make an adaptation that was gluten-free, ayurvedic-inspired, and kinder on the blood sugar.

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods and Ayurvedically they’re helpful to pacify Vata and Pitta. As the weather turns cooler, we want to eat warmer, cooked vegetables as opposed to the summer when we’re gravitating to salads or smoothies.

I like this recipe because it uses an assortment of good-for-you spices, egg whites for an extra boost of protein and no gluten.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potatoes are considered a Sattvic food- they are clean, pure energy!

Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet potato (~3 medium sweet potatoes)

• 3 tbsp maple syrup

• 3 egg whites

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Topping

• 2 cups chopped pecans

• 3 tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup

• 1 tbsp almond flour

• 1 tbsp coconut oil or melted ghee (or substitute avocado or butter)

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground cardamom

  
  Directions:

  For the sweet potatoes:

  • To cook in a pot: Place sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Allow them to boil until they are completely soft (about 15-20 minutes).

  • To cook in an instant pot: Place the trivet in the instant pot and add 1 cup of water. Stack the sweet potatoes on top of the trivet and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release.

  • After cooking, the skin will easily peel off the potatoes. Peel the skin off and in a large bowl add the rest of the ingredients and blend well with a mixer or put into a food processor.

  • Pour mash into an 8×8 baking dish. Use a spoon to smooth out the surface.

  For the topping:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In the meantime, in a medium-sized bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients. Mix well and spread over the sweet potato mash.

  • Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

  • Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on the pecans. If they begin to brown, cover again with the foil.

The ‘why’ of certain ingredients

• Cinnamon- helpful to manage spikes in blood sugar (I always add it to my coffee!), and can help reduce sugar cravings

• Cardamon- anti-inflammatory and antibacterial

• Ghee or Coconut oil- healthy fats are incredibly important (particularly for women!) yet so many people avoid them from the ‘low-fat’ craze. Both have high amounts of micronutrients and these healthy fats help protect the brain, nourish the skin, and so much more. I highly recommend choosing ghee, coconut oil, lard, avocado, or olive oil over canola, soy, and other processed fats.

• Maple syrup/ coconut sugar- my opinion here might be controversial but, sugar is sugar- and none of it is good for you. I choose maple syrup, coconut sugar, or honey when I can for the extra micronutrients (vs. white refined) but I try to limit or eliminate it when I can. When cooking for a group I tend to add sugar just because I know not everyone is as used to ‘boring’ food as me.

• Almond flour- my go-to gluten-free flour as it is the most versatile and not as finicky to bake with as cassava or coconut. You could also substitute oat flour (grind up oats in a blender) or another nut flour. You could also use sunflower seeds ground to a powder (be careful not to make butter).
  
  

Recipe adapted from Bites of Wellness and The Shakti School