Sweet Potato Muffins

Sweet Potato Muffins

I woke up with a burning desire to bake. On Sunday morning I literally leaped out of bed. My adrenaline was pumping in anticipation of my kitchen creation. I began throwing things out of the pantry faster than my brain could process. Since I have a tendency to create before I think, I took a step back and surveyed everything on the counter. The recipe I was dreaming up used several farm fresh eggs and it would have been tragic to waste them.

A few years ago I was having a business breakfast with a colleague and they ordered an egg white omelette. Our waiter brought it over and my colleague spotted the yellow tint before it was placed in front of him. He immediately turned it away and asked for a new one without the yolks. He wasted an entire omelette! How?! My stomach was tied in knots over this. I’ll never understand how people can throw out food.

After I’d let the recipe magic run through my brain a bit, I got to work. My goal was to create muffins with no flour whatsoever. There are so many recipes out there with flour substitutes and I wanted something that didn’t require filler. I knew there had to be a way to achieve this with the right ratio of eggs to sweet potatoes.

Now I need to rebuke the dogma around egg yolks. Eggs provide essential vitamins that are only found in the whole egg. If you take away the yolk, you’re discarding nourishment. Eggs contain Vitamins A and D and K2. K2 allows our bodies to distribute calcium throughout the body to the right places. Without it we’re in threat of calcifying arteries, which of course leads to heart disease. It’s also important to remember that K2 does not act alone. Vitamins A and D must be present so it can get the job done.* Eat your eggs and have a healthy heart.

This is my version of a protein packed muffin that will keep me full until lunch. The consistency is almost pie filling like, very moist but also light. Today I topped mine with some sunflower butter, raw cacao powder and a handful of raisins. And then I packed two more with my lunch.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Makes 1 dozen.

6 eggs
3 tbsp coconut oil – melted
+ 1 tbsp for coating muffin tins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes

►Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

►Coat muffin tins with melted coconut oil

►In a large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the cinnamon and vanilla, mixing to incorporate. Then stir in the sweet potatoes until well combined.

►Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. These will not rise much so fill each to the top.

►Bake for 30 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Let cool 15 minutes then move to a cooling rack. Serve slathered with salted butter.

*Reference Liz Wolfe’s Eat the Yolks for facts about cholesterol.

Egg Custard with Fresh Plum Sauce

Egg Custard with Fresh Plum Sauce

When I was 11 I made creme brûlée for the first time. It was my absolute favorite dessert and I wanted to prepare it exactly as they did in restaurants. Caramelized sugar and all. As the custard baked, the entire house filled with its sweet aroma.  I proudly served the beautiful creme brûlée to each family member. Then they took their first bite. Silence fell over the room. Yuck! My heart sank. I had switched the salt and sugar proportions. Oops!

My family will never let me live this down. It has become one of our many inside jokes and is now impossible to enjoy creme brûlée without that memory. So here I am, 18 years later, still trying to redeem myself.

Egg Custard with Fresh Plum Sauce

Egg Custard with Fresh Plum Sauce

Makes 3 servings.

Custard:
3 eggs
pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp raw honey
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
cheesecloth

Fresh Plum Sauce:
3 fresh plums, skins removed
dash of cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

►Preheat the oven to 350°F.

►In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add the salt. Mix the warm water and honey together in a small bowl until the honey is fully dissolved.

►The next part is important! You’ll want to incorporate the eggs and the honey water slowly, or you’ll end up with lumpy eggs. Gross. So add a tablespoon of honey water to the eggs and quickly beat together. Continue this process twice more and then add all of the honey water to the eggs.

►Arrange three ramekins on a baking sheet. Coat each with melted coconut oil. Strain the egg mix through cheesecloth then evenly divide between the dishes. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the custard is just solidified. Check this with a toothpick.

►For the plum sauce, peel and remove the plum skins. Blend plums, cinnamon and vanilla in a food processor for two minutes until liquified.

►Once the custard has cooled, top with fresh plum sauce and serve.

Chia Sweet Potato Soufflé

Chia Sweet Potato Soufflé

My body craves carbs in the morning and I’m still trying to find a substitute for my pervious oatmeal morning ritual. I would strategically add in coconut flakes, sunbutter, fresh ginger, raw honey, cinnamon, raw cacao powder and vanilla. Then I would enjoy it as I sat at my inspiration place writing my journal. My oatmeal routine turned into an obsession so I’m now searching for a more nourishing replacement.

Sweet potatoes are an excellent vehicle for all the add-ins and toppings I love. Basically I want my breakfast to be a FroYo toppings bar. I just want the toppings. Thank you.

This recipe is my first attempt at finding an oatmeal substitute. It’s delicious. And provides the perfect combo of carbs, protein and sweet to start the day. Chia Sweet Potato Soufflé

Makes 4 servings.

2 eggs
1 vanilla bean pod
14.5 ounces coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups), canned
1/2 cup water
1 medium sweet potato, boiled until soft
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of sea salt
1/4 cup chia seeds
garnish with sliced almonds, chopped pecans or a sprinkling of cinnamon (optional)

►Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and set aside near your stove.

►Split open the vanilla bean and scrap out the seeds.

►In a saucepan, bring coconut milk, water, vanilla seeds and pod to a slow boil over medium high heat. Keep stirring to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

►When the mixture begins to simmer, stir more briskly and keep simmering for five minutes.

►Remove the vanilla pod and discard. Place your bowl of whisked eggs near the stove and carefully ladle a spoonful of coconut mixture into it. Stir quickly to combine. You’ll have to move fast to prevent the eggs from clumping. Once it has formed a smooth mixture, pour this into the remaining coconut mixture in the saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

►Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour into a blender with the sweet potato. Blend until combined. Then add cinnamon, sea salt and chia seeds, pulsing until evenly mixed.

►Divide into four small jars and store covered in the refrigerator for at least three hours. Serve cold or hot by reheating over the stove. Top with crushed nuts, coconut flakes or chopped dried fruit.

*Recipe adapted from Diane Sanfilippo’s Banana Vanilla Bean N’oatmeal (21DSD).