Sweet Potato Casserole

What's a Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes? For those of us who celebrate the harvest, and seek to eat seasonally, sweet potatoes are as natural for the holiday as cranberries and pecans. For pre-modern humans (you know, the ones who couldn't order soursops and rose apples in the middle of winter), sweet potatoes were a great source of calories during a time when calories were starting to not be as readily available.

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole is a dish that usually would send your glucose level skyward, due to the large amounts of added sugar. This version, however, leans on a sweet potato's natural sweetness while supplementing with natural sweeteners. The heavy use of coconut here is a very welcome addition to the overall flavor. Here's what you need:

Sweet Potatoes - The namesake of this smooth, custardy casserole

Butter/Coconut Oil - Paleo folks can omit the butter, but the flavor is top notch with it.

Coconut Milk - This is honestly a substitution that I'd still do even if I made this dish with real sugar.

Eggs - As essential to a casserole as well as a cake, these are what make the final texture nice and fluffy.

Sweetener - Stevia is the go-to choice for this dish, but honey lovers can experiment if they wish. You'll also need some stevia brown sugar for the pecan topping. I find a 1-to-1 substitute "brown sugar" from Truvia that uses erythritol and stevia.

Extras - Vanilla, pecans and a bit of coconut flour round out this dish with flavor and a nice crunchy top layer.

complete instructions below

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Yield: 12 servings

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 50 min

Ready: 60 min

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 1/3 cup coconut milk

• 1 tsp powdered stevia

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 1 cup stevia brown sugar substitute (1-to-1 substitute, otherwise adjust accordingly)

• 3 tbsp coconut flour

• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Cut the sweet potatoes in halves or thirds and boil until fork tender. When cool, remove skin and mash.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil.

3. In a large bowl, mix together all but last four ingredients. Spread sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.

4. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly, then stir in pecans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.