Holiday Dinner All-Star: Apple Pecan Sweet Potato Mash

We had Easter dinner at my mom's place on Saturday night and the food she made was SO awesome that when it was my turn to make another family dinner Sunday night, I had to attempt to make some of her recipes on my own. By far the standout dish of the night was Apple Pecan Sweet Potato Mash - it's a breeze to make and feels like an ultimate indulgence! It's a great change from what I've seen at a lot of family dinners - those maple syrup coated or marshmallow drenched sweet potato dishes.....not only is it a more fitness friendly option, but sweet potatoes are a great source of nutrients and the good fats from the pecans and coconut oil add to the satiating factor in this fab side dish.

Apple Pecan Sweet Potato Mash
serves 6

Ingredients:

3 med-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2" sized pieces
2/3 apple, peeled and diced
1oz of raw pecans (can be in halves/pieces - your preference!)
1 tbsp splenda brown sugar unpacked (or regular sugar...this is such a small amount I wouldn't worry much about it!)
2 tsp coconut oil
2-3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp butter (optional)
sea salt (to taste)

1) Preheat frying pan at med-high heat. Add coconut oil.
2) Once melted, add pecans. Sautee for approximately 5 minutes.
3) Add apples, cinnamon and sugar. Mix until all ingredients are well coated. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until apples are soft.
4) While cooking your pecan mixture, boil a saucepan of water and add in sweet potatoes. Cook until tender (just test with your fork!) The time for cooking will depend on the size of the pieces you use.
5) Once cooked, drain the water out of the saucepan. Add almond milk and salt (and if you choose to, butter). Using a hand emulsifier 'mash/puree' the sweet potatoes until smooth. If you don't own a hand emulsifier, I suggest you get one! It makes all mashing projects so easy! But if you don't have one, a regular potato masher will work just fine.


6) Once blended, fold in the pecan and apple mixture into the sweet potatoes until mixed in well.
7) Serve and enjoy :)

Calories per serving: 115; fat 5g; carbs 17g; fibre 3g; protein 2g;