Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
This dish, an adaptation of a recipe my friend Barbara gave to me, is one of my favorites. I’ve been known to have a big square all on its own as a meal—including breakfast!
1/2 cup unsweetened
applesauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup Sucanat
1/2 cup old-fashioned
oats (not instant)
1/4 cup ground flax
seeds
4 medium carrots,
trimmed and washed, cut into chunks
2 medium sweet
potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 whole organic
lemon, washed and cut in quarters
2 T coconut butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground
ginger
1/4 tsp. ground
cloves
1/2 tsp. sea salt, if
desired
1/2 cup pecan or
walnut pieces
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9 x 13” pan with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper.
In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, measure the applesauce, then add the water to make a total of one cup liquid. Add the agave to the cup (for a total of 1-1/4 cups), then add the Sucanat (for a total of 1-1/2 cups). Stir the mixture in the cup with a fork to blend, and to allow the Sucanat to begin to dissolve.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, blend together the oats and flax seeds until mixture is ground and resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the dry mixture to a clean, large bowl.
Without washing the processor bowl, add the carrots and sweet potato and whir until chopped into fine pieces. Add the lemon and coconut butter, and blend again until the mixture is fairly smooth and almost puréed. Sprinkle all the spices on top and pulse once or twice to combine well.
Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the bowl with the oats, and pour the applesauce-water mixture on top. Stir well until everything is evenly combined. Last, stir in the nuts and raisins and spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for about an hour, until golden and slightly puffed on top, and a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Makes eight side dish or 6 main course servings. May be frozen.
If you enjoyed this free recipe and would like to purchase recipes from this season's classes, click here!