The Great Thanksgiving Countdown - Recipe #4
I know: I already gave you a tasty recipe for serving yams at Thanksgiving. But then I got to thinking: if you really, really love your traditional yam casserole topped with marshmallows, then a savory salad dish might not quite do the trick.
Luckily, Ali & Tom over at Nourishing Meals had similar thoughts. They've developed a yam casserole that's sweet, delicious, and, wait for it... totally good for you! It uses coconut sugar, which is an unrefined sweetener, and is also grain free for those of you who like to avoid gluten and other grains.
So rest easy, everyone, and enjoy some sweetness-with-a-side-of-healthy this Thanksgiving weekend.
Yam Casserole with Pecan Streusel Topping
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 2 large garnet yams, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice or apple cider
- 2 to 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 to 3 tablespoons organic butter or coconut oil
Topping:
- 2 cups raw pecans
- 1/4 cup organic butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chopped yams into a pot and add a little water, cover and steam cook over medium heat until tender but not mushy. About 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how you cut them. Strain off the water and place into an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish.
In a separate bowl whisk together the juice, coconut sugar and arrowroot. Pour over the yams. Dot with butter (the butter will melt right away, this is good). Toss together using a large spoon. Now cover the dish and put it in the fridge if you are prepping this for another day. If not, proceed with the topping.
Make the topping when the yams are cooking. Place the pecans into a food processor fitted with the "s" blade. Pulse until ground, but not ground too finely. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until combined, this takes a little longer than the first pulsing. It should start to come together and hold together if you press it together with your fingers.
Crumble it over the yam filling.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm, and delicious.