Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Sweetie Pie




The holidays are a huge part of who I am. Also, food and my love for entertaining, which happen to be the core of my cherished infatuations. That being said (the following is not an exaggeration), I live day by day, by day by day awaiting the holidays which loom in the horizon! 

Welp, fall is finally here and Halloween is well on its way. If there is one thing I cannot live without (regardless of season!) it's pumpkin pie. I can however live without all the sugar and guilt that goes along with my year-round craving...and the can it comes in (yet to master how to cook a pumpkin pie using a real pumpkin, I can hardly carve one), all those variables lead me to creating 'Sweetie Pie.' Thanks to its make up of sweet potatoes, this mock filling holds some supreme beauty enhancing compounds. The dish is idyllic as a side or desert and a simple carry along for a holiday potluck.

Ingredients: (serves about 6)

3 large sweet potatoes 
3 tbs. agave 
1/2 tbs. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup pure orange juice 
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt


Preparation: 

In a large sauce pan, boil water. Peel and cut potatoes into pieces. Once water is boiling, add potatoes and cook until soft. Strain water and transfer potatoes back into the sauce pan. Using a 'potato masher' or hand mixer, mash potatoes as you normally would. In a small-medium bowl combined agave, orange juice, vanilla extract, spice and sea salt then whisk until completely mixed. Add liquid mixture to mashed potatoes and mix well. 

Pair with pumpkin seeds and/or a small tea cookie for garnish. 

Sweet potatoes: Known to help improve skin complexion, sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene. In the body beta-carotene converts to vitamin A and through DNA eliminates old skin cells and produces new ones. Beta-carotene also works to fight off free radicals (chemicals that damage cells) and enough free radical exposure can lead to wrinkles--way before we should have them! Sweet potatoes also contain vitamin C and can help stabilize blood sugar levels. 

Canned products: It is always best to eat fresh foods for obvious reasons, plus some canned goods can hold tons of additives. There has been lots of talk regarding Bisphenol A (BPA), a compound which coats the interior of canned products. Some studies have linked BPA to health issues (from hormone imbalances to cancer) and questioned its effects on the brain. I'm not telling you to never use a canned product again, but simply be aware, that's all. I still use canned goods for certain things! I just make sure to always look for the purest option available (may mean a little more effort), read labels/ingredient list before buying and if I can find what I am looking for in a glass jar instead, I'll buy that. 

Get cooking, sweetie pie! xo

4 comments:

  1. oww so excited for hallowen may try this http://inhalefashionandbeauty.blogspot.com/

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  2. I love Halloween!!!! This is one of my favorite holidays.

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  3. Sounds yummy ! We don't celebrate the holidays /Halloween here in Finland, so this was a completely new dish for me ^^

    Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comment:)

    xx indie by heart

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