Sweet Potato Pie in Ramekins

NOURISH NOV 21, 2019
Danielle and I liked these for the day after Thanksgiving.


These delightful, single-serve treats bring the essence of both sweet potato and pecan pies together in pudding-cup form, with creamy, cinnamon-scented, whipped sweet potato that gets topped with crunchy, brown sugar-kissed pecans. With no crust involved, and a subtle amount of maple syrup and butter, these healthful cups are a cinch to make.

Make Ahead: Unbaked cups may be made up to 1 day ahead, covered and stored in the refrigerator. Let the ramekins come to room temperature before baking.

Storage Notes: Baked cups may be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days and served at room temperature.

SERVINGS:

Tested size: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the ramekins
1 medium (10-ounce) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup pecan pieces, chopped
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle. Butter four 6-ounce ramekins.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and add the potato. Cook at a rapid boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.

Transfer the potato to a large bowl and add the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon each nutmeg and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until creamy, about 2 minutes. (The mixture will be somewhat soupy and bits of sweet potato will remain visible.) Evenly divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins.

In a small bowl, toss the pecans with the brown sugar and the remaining pinches of cinnamon and salt until combined. Sprinkle the pecan mixture on top of the sweet potato in the ramekins. Place the filled ramekins on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake, 20 to 25 minutes, until the ramekins are set in the middle and the topping is browned. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

salad dressing variations

From Heart of the Plate by Mollie Katzen

Basic Vinaigrette

1.5 Tbsp shallots, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp agave, sugar or maple syrup
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp EVOO

Mix first 4 ingredients with whisk or by shaking
Drizzle EVOO in, whisking as you go.
Store in refrigerator.


For mustard vinaigrette - use maple syrup and add 1 Tbsp or up to 2 Tbsp honey dijon

For pomegranate vinaigrette - leave out 1 tsp of sweetener and add 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses.  Replace some of the EVOO with roasted walnut oil if available.

Thick cranberry orange vinaigrette to use on spiced carrots (p 102)

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 navel orange, coarsely chopped, peel included
1 Tbsp chopped shallot
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp agave or sugar
2 tsp cider vinaigrette
1/4 cup EVOO

1) combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; buzz until the fruit is pulverized into a thick pulpy state.

2) Add sweetener and vinegar and pulse a few times until it's blended.

3) With the marine running, add EVOO one Tbsp at a time, until fully incorporated.

Eggless Salad Sandwich

Adapted from Neal Barnard and Jennifer Reilly, The Cancer Survivor's Guide - Foods that help you fight back!

This takes about 2 minutes to make, and makes for a delicious lunch.  Add anything to the sandwich that you normally would for a tuna or egg salad sandwich.  The recipe calls for vegan mayo.  Because of the bad reputation of vegan cheeses, many people avoid the vegan mayo as well.  I agree about disliking vegan cheeses.  The only one I like is a Trader Joe's option with mixed 'mozzarella and cheddar.'  It tastes good and melts like real cheese.

However, all the mayo brands I have tried are soy-based and have been good.  The one I'm using currently is Trader Joe's, but several others from other stores have been perfectly fine as well.

Ingredients:
1 pound firm, reduced fat silken tofu
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp pickle relish  (I didn't have this, so I used capers)
2 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin or coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Whole grain bread
Lettuce and tomato

Directions:
1) Squeeze water out of the tofu between paper towels.  You don't need to be too gentle, since you'll be mashing it up anyway.  Then mash the tofu with a fork, leaving some chunks if possible.

2) Stir in the scallion, relish, mayo, mustard, salt and spices.

3) Serve on toast and top with lettuce and tomato.