Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I simply couldn't let Thanksgiving go by without posting my mom's healthy mashed sweet potatoes recipe. My mom is an amazing on-the-fly cook, and ever since she's embraced a whole-food, plant-based diet (and lost over 20 pounds so far! Go Mom!), I've had the benefit of sampling some amazing dishes that she's just "thrown together." (Wish I'd gotten that gene!)

Anyhow, when Mom whipped up these tasty sweet potatoes a few weeks back, I knew right away they had to go on Veggie Quest. Luckily she was more than happy to share her methods! So without further ado, here's her recipe:

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Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Prep Time: 40 min (10 min active)                    Serves: 8

Ingredients
6 medium sweet potatoes (about 4½ lbs)
2 navel oranges
2 c frozen pineapple chunks, thawed (with juice) or 2 c fresh pineapple chunks
3 Tbsp maple syrup or a few drops liquid stevia
1 tsp cinnamon
toasted chopped pecans for garnish (optional)

Directions
Cook sweet the potatoes: Scrub the sweet potatoes and cut them into quarters. (Do not peel.) Put half the potatoes in a large microwave-safe container with ¼ inch of water in the bottom. Cover and microwave for 15 minutes (or until tender), rearranging the potatoes every 5 minutes. Repeat with the second half of the potatoes. 

(Note: If you'd rather not use a microwave, wrap each whole potato in aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 1-1½ hours until centers of potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Whatever you do, please don't be tempted to boil your sweet potatoes; it makes them bland and watery.)

Puree the fruit: Peel oranges and place sections in a blender with the pineapple and maple syrup or stevia. Blend until smooth.

No need to remove the membranes from the oranges

Mash: Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh away from the skins and place flesh in a large bowl. Add about ¾ of the fruit puree, sprinkle with 1 tsp cinnamon, and mash. (No need for perfection; you want these sweet potatoes to look a little rustic!) Continue to add puree until the desired consistency is reached. Adjust sweetness to taste.

Serve: Place sweet potatoes in an oven-safe serving dish, cover, and pop in a warm oven for a  few minutes if needed. Garnish with toasted pecans, if using, and serve.