HOLIDAY EDITION: Cinnamon Pecan Sweet Potatoes

This holiday, skip the obligatory traditional dishes.

"I can't wait for the cranberry sauce" is a rare remark. Yet year after year, like clockwork, there it remains. Free your time and your mind of the traditional imperatives of a Thanksgiving meal, focusing instead on a few worthy dishes that make your taste buds and nostalgia sing. You'll stress less, evading that spike in cortisol levels that's as predictable this time of year as the turkey itself; plus, you'll have more time to dedicate to embellishing the dishes you actually enjoy.

The most vibrant of resistant starch sources, sweet potatoes get their bright orange color from the antioxidant beta carotene. Their holiday spice flavorings - cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves - are a potent insulin sensitizing trio, helping to curb the imminent glucose spike of the ensuing pumpkin pie.

To make sure your gut bacteria also procure a well-deserved Thanksgiving meal, use the cooking and cooling method below to enhance the resistant starch content of the sweet potatoes.

Bredesen Protocol Approved 

Plant Paradox Approved

Paleo

Gluten Free

Grain Free

Dairy Free: Replace ghee with hazelnut oil or almond oil. Do not use coconut oil as the roasting temperature exceeds the smoke point of coconut oil.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 Sweet Potatoes (~8 cups) 4 Tbsp Ghee, Melted 2 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon 1 1⁄4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves 1⁄2 tsp Sea Salt

1⁄2 c Pecans, Chopped

Optional: Pinch of Pure Monk Fruit or Stevia

Optional: 1/3 c Hemp Seeds

PREP

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with ghee.

3. Wash then cut the sweet potatoes into 3/4-1 inch cubes. Place the cubes into a large bowl.

4. Combine the melted ghee, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, sea salt, and (optionally) a pinch of monk fruit or stevia in a small bowl. Stir until combined.

5. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and stir until evenly coated.

6. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and flip the potatoes over with a spatula. Spread the pecans and (optional) hemp seeds over the top of the sweet potatoes and return to the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown.

8. To enhance its resistant starch content: Transfer sweet potatoes to the refrigerator overnight, or to the freezer for 1 hour.

9. When you are ready to serve, warm the sweet potatoes back up in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.