Grandma's Sweet Potato Soufflé Goes Healthy
Ingredients
filling ingredients:
- 3 heaping cups sweet potato, cooked (should be about 3 potatoes)
- 1/2 cup vegan buttery spread, melted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (sub agave nectar or coconut nectar)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 3 1/2 tablespoons water (mixed and set aside for 5 min)
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
topping ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup flour (sub gluten free all purpose flour)
- 1/3 cup coconut shreds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Blend together all of of your filling ingredients in a blender, food processor, or with an electric mixer.
- Once the filling is smooth, pour the mixture into a oven-safe pan.
- Mix together all of the topping ingredients, and sprinkle liberally over the top of your sweet potato filling.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
- EAT UP!
Truthfully I don’t know the difference between a sweet potato casserole and a sweet potato soufflé. I was raised in the South – the land where all soda is called “coke” and syllables are either missing or drawn out to a ridiculous degree in ordinary words. So I’m sorry if you were expecting marshmallows or something when you saw the word “soufflé.” This recipe is actually based on my grandma’s “sweet potato soufflé” recipe – so I didn’t want to deviate from tradition of calling it a soufflé, because Thanksgiving is all about traditions!
So let’s talk about the differences between my grandma’s recipe an my own…
- She used butter, I use a butter alternative that is vegan!
- She used refined sugar, I use unrefined maple syrup & coconut sugar, which are lower on the glycemic index!
- She used full fat milk, I use almond milk – which is helpful if you have lactose intolerant or dairy free guests!
- She used brown sugar & 1/2 stick of butter to make the topping – I use coconut oil and coconut sugar! (YAY healthy fats!)
- She used eggs, I use a egg substitute made from mixing flaxmeal and water.
So there you have it! It’s simply about making some heath-ier substitutions that allow you to have a soufflé that is both happy and healthy.
Here are my thoughts… YES, Thanksgiving is about tradition. BUT that doesn’t mean you have to make the same unhealthy dishes every year if you are on a new journey to health-ier this year. Instead, make the substitutions that matter (I honestly don’t think anyone will know the difference), and in the end you will still feel happy about the choices you made that day. So this year I carry on the tradition of my grandma’s soufflé in a health-ier way, but I vow to never substitute the amount of love that goes in it. I invite you to do the same.
