Sweet Potato Recipes:
Sweet Potato 'Pudding' with
Candied Walnuts and Bananas

Ingredients:

• 6 sweet potatoes
• 3 ripe bananas, skins on
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup pure grade B maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground clove, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pound walnuts
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice plus lime wedges for garnish
• 1 cup banana chips
• 1/2 stick organic unsalted butter (or Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 450F. Using a fork, pierce the sweet potatoes about 4 times. Bake approximately 1 hour or until they are tender.
• Roast the bananas, with the peels on, for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
• Allow them to cool, but not completely - just enough so that they are easy to handle. Peel the bananas and the sweet potatoes and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until the potatoes are nice and chunky.
• Add the butter and grade B maple syrup; puree until smooth.
• Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt; puree to combine. Transfer to a shallow baking pan and smooth out the surface.
• In a skillet melt the butter over low heat and toast walnuts and banana chips and sprinkle with salt.
• Sauté until walnuts and banana chips are well-coated and walnuts are slightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Arrange the walnuts and banana chips on top of puree and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 325F until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Submitted by: Anne Thornton, Host of Food Network's Dessert First with Anne Thornton