Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces– just good food from fresh ingredients.” -Julia Child

I stopped by the farmer’s market a few weeks ago and picked up a beautiful basket of locally grown sweet potatoes. I usually make sweet potato mashed potatoes or sweet potato crisps but this week I wanted pumpkin in just about everything that went into my mouth. So, I decided to invent for the first time ever Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash. (Not really, there are thousands of recipes on line that combine these darling flavors.) This side is simple, delicious, and oh so fall. So, here’s what you’ll need:

• 3.5 lbs of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ pieces.
• 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
• 1TBSP vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• Bring a pot 3/4 full of water to a rolling boil.
• Peel and dice your sweet potatoes into 1″ pieces then add them to the boiling water for 25 minutes or until pieces are very soft and easily broken up with a fork.
• When the potatoes are done, drain the water. Then add butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon.
• Mix the ingredients altogether using a hand mixer for about 2 minutes then add your almond milk and blend again until smooth.
• When serving I like to top the potatoes with cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or pecans and a little bit of maple syrup and cinnamon!

I served the Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash with tofu steaks, sauteed onions and mushrooms, along with a spinach, cranberry, apple salad with fig balsamic!  You can substitute tofu for regular steak, chicken, or fish! This would also be a healthier alternative to the traditional candied yams with marshmallows for your upcoming Thanksgiving meal! Bon appetit!

Thanks for reading,
-M