I created this recipe when I was cooking for Thanksgiving a few years back and wanted to host with the same essence of traditional holiday flavors while incorporating a health-focused version with a modern twist! It has the elements of classic Candied Sweet Potatoes, however these are “un-candied” as they do not include any marshmallows, dairy or unfriendly waistline ingredients in the entire dish! Instead, I swapped out the guilty ingredients with healthy counterparts including coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla flavoring & coconut flakes to mimic the white look of marshmallows coupled with pecans to give it a nice crunch and seasonal appeal.

Watch the preparation and see the full recipe below.

Chef Via Melissa’s Vanilla Infused Mashed Sweet Potatoes (aka Un-Candied Sweet Potatoes)

Prep Time 15 min | Cook Time 45 min |Total Time 60 min | Servings 4

 Ingredients 

4 medium / large sweet potatoes (about 1lb – 1 1/2 lbs)

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup vanilla coconut milk

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup large dehydrated coconut flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425

Rinse potatoes and scrub them to remove any excess dirt.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pierce all potatoes with a fork a few times then place them on the baking sheet

Place sheet on lower rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Flip potatoes over with a fork and cook another 15-25 minutes (time depends on thickness of potatoes) then remove from oven when they are soft and let cool for 30 minutes.

Once cooled…Remove skin from the potatoes (this should come off pretty easily if potatoes have totally cooked).

Place potatoes in a casserole dish then top with coconut oil, coconut milk & sea salt. Mash and blend the potatoes until it reached desired consistency.

**Blend potatoes in a food processor or blender for a whipped consistency

Sprinkle with coconut flakes and crushed pecans.