Yam Pecan Pie

 
This time of year there are plenty of holiday parties and get-togethers to attend. If you want to bring something a little different check out this month's recipe! Some of the ingredients may require you to explore the supermarket, but the result will be delicious and a great conversation piece.

The recipe calls for yams but you can substitute sweet potatoes if yams are unavailable. Yams and sweet potatoes look the same, they taste the same and unless you are a culinary expert you likely never really know which you are eating!

When it comes to their nutritional content and health benefits both yams and sweet potatoes are similar. They are a great source of beta carotene, an antioxidant found in most orange fleshed foods such as mangoes and carrots. They are also high in vitamin A and C and contain a good amount of thiamine. They are nourishing to the spleen, pancreas and stomach.


Yummy Yam Pecan Pie

Crust:
  • 1 cup almonds, ground
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 2 tablespoon maple crystals
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
Filling:
  • 2 cups mashed or cooked yams or sweet potatoes (you can always buy canned organic sweet potatoes or yams if necessary)
  • 1 cup vanilla soymilk
  • 3/4 cup maple sugar
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
  • 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, mixed with 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 tablespoon coconut oil and roasted for 5-10 minutes at 200F
For the Crust:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9 in tart pan or a few mini tart pans.
  2. In food processor, grind nuts to meal. In mixing bowl, combine nuts, flour, maple crystals, baking powder and salt.
  3. In separate small bowl, whish together oil and maple syrup
  4. Mix wet ingredients (oil and syrup) into dry ingredients (nut meal and flours).
  5. Press crust mixture into tart pan.
For the Filling:
  1. Blend all the ingredients in a vita mix or a blender until well combined.
  2. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 45-60 minutes.
  3. Cool on rack and then refrigerate over night before serving.
This recipe was sourced from Fully Nourished by Marni Wasserman.