I have a major sweet tooth, so I like to make desserts that are healthy and portable to satisfy my midafternoon cravings at the office. Sweet potatoes are a natural choice and help me satisfy my rule to eat something green and something orange every day.
Take a bag of sweet potatoes. (Mine were organic from Fiesta Farms, but not local. Fiesta, can we have local and organic, pretty please?) Wash, pierce with a fork and put on a tray lined with parchment paper.
Roast at 375F for a good hour or more. I like to err on the side of overcooked. The juices escape and burn and caramelize. Delicious. (This part can be done ahead of time.)
Sweet potato pudding #1: chocolate variety
This one was inspired by Choosing Raw. It’s more or less Gena’s recipe, except I did it from memory and modified slightly.
1 small roasted sweet potato
1 avocado
6 or so soft, mushy dates (if you have hard ones, soak them first)
a couple tablespoons of cocoa or raw cacao powder
a tablespoon of coconut oil (I like to add this to my puddings for better mouthfeel)
some vanilla
Process in the food processor until creamy, adding water and scraping bowl as necessary and adjusting flavours to taste.
Put in a jar and see how long you can make it last.
Sweet potato pudding #2: basic variety
This one was inspired by one I bought at Noah’s by Jinny Lok, who makes healthy and tasty desserts under the brand name (I think) Joyful Living.
Measurements are approximate because it depends on how many sweet potatoes you use. Remember that sweet potatoes are already sweet, so don’t go overboard on sweeteners.
a few roasted sweet potatoes
some dates
a swish of maple syrup
a tablespoon of coconut oil
some spices (I used cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)
Add to food processor and process until smooth, adding water and scraping bowl as needed. Adjust flavours to taste.
I put mine in a few small jars and topped them with Greek yogurt and pecans. But honestly, to make it truly vegan, a coconut or cashew cream would be just as good if not better.
Note: for both puddings, I left the skins on (but removed the tough stem ends). There’s a lot of nutrition in the skin that it’s worth keeping, and they process up pretty smooth. But if you want a super-creamy pudding, you might want to remove the skins.
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