Dad’s Sweet Potato Mash (healthy!) and Are You the Wind Beneath Abe’s Wings??

Hi everyone. Now that we are all sated, have possibly pigged out beyond our wildest dreams on Thanksgiving, we may be thinking about good health again. I know I am (since my pants are really tight today).

This is why I am so excited to show you my friend Abraham Dickerson’s healthier sweet potato recipe. He has introduced this to our school cafeteria and the principal has approved him going in to offer it to the kids. That takes chutzpa!

Are you an “Abraham Dickerson” ? If you are not someone who is comfortable taking such a public stance on health or anything else that benefits our kids, how about supporting people who do? Support for healthy initiatives is just as, if not more, important than being the person in the healthy food spotlight, right?

Don’t you remember how Bette Midler needed Barbara Hershey to support her to become the star she needed to become??

Let your principal know if you like these kinds of ideas and let’s give a big shout out to Abe! Yay, Abe!! Read about him by clicking on the link below:

“>http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ele_mid_school/134442703_Chef_puts_veggies_center_stage.html?page=all

Now for the recipe….

Dad’s Holiday Sweet Mash:

Ingredients

5 lb Sweet Potato
1 cup of cranberries
2 medium size carrots or 1 cup minced carrots
½ cup dates (soak overnight)
1 cup of light coconut milk
½ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp vanilla
2 tsp coconut extract
½ tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp cinnamon

Peel, cut (into ¼) and boil potatoes for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Pour cranberries into saucepan, place ½ cup of water and ½ tbsp of brown sugar and turn burner onto medium heat and cook until water boils into light syrup. Stir occasionally. Minced carrots in food processor or chop finely, cook for 2 minutes and then drain excess water. Place dates with water in food processor or Vitamix until pureed; add all liquids and spices to the pureed dates, mix in well. Take cooked potatoes and place them through a food ricer (if you don’t have a food ricer use a masher.) Add the carrots & cranberries and fold into mashed potatoes, then add the date mix and stir until evenly colored.

*This recipe serves 20 people based on 4 ounce serving*