Let's just get one thing out in the open. I LOVE SWEET POTATOES. They are so good, so healthy, and so simple to use! The best part is they are super sweet and don't need much to dress them up! I was having some fun in the kitchen the other day and created this special and sugar-free holiday dish. It is the perfect combination of ginger spice, sweet, and tart.
This dish is sweetened with dates-something I really enjoy using to sweeten dishes. They are full of fiber, so your body doesn't absorb their sugars as quickly as refined sugars and sweeteners. This prevents your body from creating a sugar addiction-type reaction when tasting them.
What you'll need:
3 cups raw whole cranberries
½ cup pitted dates (or more, depending on how sweet you want it to be)
½ cup crushed walnuts
¼ of an orange, peeled and sliced
3 large sweet potatoes
Cinnamon
2 tbs. freshly grated ginger, or ½ tsp. ginger powder (no salt added)
Microplane/grater
Food processor/blender or magic bullet
Step 1: Bring pot of water to boil. Once it’s boiling, pour in the raw cranberries. Cover and cook until all berries have popped. You’ll know they have popped when there is a white line in the side of each berry. Once they are done, save ½ cup of the boiling water. Pour remaining water through a strainer to drain. The cranberries should now have a pulp-like consistency. Set aside.
Step 2: Wash the sweet potatoes and wrap them in wax paper. Place in microwave on high for 15-17 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft in the middle. Set aside to cool.
Step 3: In a food processor or Magic Bullet, chop ½ cup of dates until they are brought to a pulp. Then, pour in the ½ cup of boiling water. Blend again, until the dates have a syrup-like consistency. Set aside. (NOTE: If you are taking this to a party of people who are not sugar free, you may want to add/create more date syrup). This tastes super sweet to us, but we don't eat sweeteners very often.)
Step 4: If using raw ginger, peel off skin using the edge of a spoon. Then, grate ginger into a pulp-like consistency. Grate 2 tbs. worth. If you want the dish to have a bit more kick to it, add 1-2 additional tbs. of ginger.
Step 5: Mix ginger into the blended date syrup. Mix in 1 tbs. cinnamon and ¼ peeled orange slices. Blend some more. It will turn into a paste-like consistency.
Step 6: Pull off skins of the potatoes and scoop into mixing bowl.
Step 7: In a large bowl, mix cranberries, sweet potatoes, and date/ginger paste. Pour evenly into a casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed walnuts and a dusting of cinnamon over the whole dish.
Step 8: Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until warm enough to serve.
Do you have leftovers? AWESOME! Serve cold, with a combination of blended frozen banana and whipping cream (unsweetened, liquid form) on top. Enjoy!
And while we are busy baking or sitting around the table with loved ones, here is a beautiful prayer I found recently to get us all in the Thanksgiving Day mood!
You manifest your infinite majesty, power and goodness
In the earth about us:
We give you honor and glory.
For the sun and the rain,
For the manifold fruits of our fields:
For the increase of our herds and flocks,
We thank you.
For the enrichment of our souls with divine grace,
We are grateful.
Supreme Lord of the harvest,
Graciously accept us and the fruits of our toil,
In union with Jesus, your Son,
As atonement for our sins,
For the growth of your Church,
For peace and love in our homes,
And for salvation for all.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
