Healthier Sweet Potato Casserole Boats with Pecan Flax Crumble
Try this Healthier Sweet Potato Casserole Boats with Pecan Flax Crumble recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Healthier Sweet Potato Casserole Boats with Pecan Flax Crumble recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 large sweet potatoes (try to find normal sized)
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or 2 more tablespoons brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted (may swap butter)
- 1/4 -1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (left at room temp so it is solid)
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup raw pecans chopped
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoon oatmeal
- 1 tablespoon whole or ground flax seeds (optional) (i used whol
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (optional)
- Carbohydrate 17.2070565568724 g
- Cholesterol 1.225 mg
- Fat 14.4262809366999 g
- Fiber 2.17893440771672 g
- Protein 2.87559187450056 g
- Saturated Fat 4.72895656184322 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (64g)
- Sodium 35.8244374986234 mg
- Sugar 15.0281221491557 g
- Trans Fat 0.742079593694394 g
- Calories 200 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until soft and tender. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, slice them in half and allow to cool 5 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Once the flesh of the potatoes is cool enough to touch, scoop out the flesh of the potatoes, leaving a thin layer of potatoes and skin. Place the sweet potato skins (the "boats") on a baking sheet. Add the sweet potato flesh to a medium bowl and mash well. Add the dark brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Continue to mash until smooth. Now stir in the eggs and 1/4 cup coconut milk. If the sweet potatoes seem too thick add another 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Stir until everything is combined. Spoon the mashed sweet potatoes back into the sweet potato skins. The filling should just be popping out of the skins.
- To make the crumble add the coconut oil, whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, pecans, flaked coconut, oatmeal and flax to a bowl. Use your hands to works the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until everything is moist and the mixture resembles large peas. Divide the mixture evenly between the boats. Bake the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes, then remove and add marshmallows to the top of each sweet potato. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the marshmallows are toasted. EAT!
The Moisture Advantage of Whole Roasting
Baking whole sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for one full hour initiates starch conversion differently than boiling or steaming. Natural amylase enzymes break complex carbohydrates down into maltose while the skin acts as a sealed vessel, trapping internal moisture. Canned purees often undergo industrial retorting that forces excess water into the flesh, creating a watery batter. Piercing the skins allows steam to vent gradually without rupturing the cellular walls completely.
Structuring the Starch Base
Scooping the roasted flesh requires leaving a sturdy structural margin of approximately one-quarter inch inside the skin to support the heavy filling. Integrating eggs and coconut milk into the hot mash demands precise temperature management. Whisking eggs into boiling vegetables causes immediate protein coagulation and curdling. Letting the potato interior cool for five minutes prevents the eggs from scrambling prematurely while still warm enough to dissolve brown sugar and maple syrup efficiently.
Fat Distribution in the Crumble Topping
Solid room-temperature coconut oil interacts with whole wheat flour and oats through mechanical cutting rather than melting. Rubbing the fat into dry ingredients coats the flour proteins in lipids, inhibiting gluten network formation and guaranteeing a crumbly topping instead of a tough crust. Judge final doneness visually by monitoring the marshmallow layer at 350 degrees F for fifteen minutes until the exterior turns golden brown and contracts slightly under heat.
