a book review: a plantiful table // sweet potato pie + giveaway!

Does anyone else read their cookbooks like a novel or am I the only one?

The Plantiful Table has been one of the Cookbooks of 2015 that I have been waiting for - when the opportunity to review the book was presented I jumped at the opportunity. I have been following Drea's blog for a couple of years now and fell in love with her approach on feeding Marlowe and how her family treated meal time and food in general.

When selecting the recipe to share with you I actually thought Sweet Potato Pie was a savory side dish....you see, I have never had sweet potatoes in a dessert.  I actually never had a sweet potato until I met Justin, about 12 years ago. Now I can't get enough bright orange goodness.

Like any pie you start with pie dough. Making your own dough is really, really easy. Please don't let this part of the process intimidate you. Of course, if you can find a vegan pre made pie crust go ahead and use that. However, I promise you making your own pie dough is so rewarding and very easy. I used my go to pie dough recipe which has yet to fail me.

The recipe calls for sugar and I opted to used date sugar in place of regular sugar which worked beautifully in the filling. After tasting the filling I was actually tempted to skip the whole pie thing and just eat the filling, it was that good.

My pie baked up in about 30 minutes versus the 40-60 minutes outlined in the book-  the baking time all is dependent on your crust and oven. 

I really enjoyed the stories that went along with each recipe and Kid Friendly notes was a nice touch as well. This book really shows you how easy plant based eating as a family can be - Drea makes it look effortless with easy, approachable recipes based around seasonal whole plant based foods.

Not only is Drea and The Experiment allowing me to share with you this amazing recipe but also host a giveaway!!! For your chance to win your very own copy of The Plantiful Table enter below!

{The giveaway will run until 12:00am EST on 2-5-16 and is open to US residents only. 

Please use the box below to enter.} 

Sweet Potato Pie // from The Plantiful Table

Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) pie

I created this pie for my extended family, who are intense in their quest for all-things-sweet-potato. Mashed, fried, grilled, baked—you name it, and they’ll devour it. I’ve put my own spin on a sweet potato pie by making it with coconut fat, which adds a smooth richness that’s almost magical. Although I’m generally not a big fan of sweet potatoes (both Marlowe and I will happily eat a creamy sweet potato soup, but we pass on sweet potato fries), the addition of coconut milk to this recipe made me fall in love with sweet potato pie. It’s wonderful paired with vanilla bean ice cream, so be sure to try it that way, too!

·         One 14-ounce (400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

·         ⅓ cup (104 ml) maple syrup

·         2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

·         2½ cups (500 g, or about 2 medium) cooked, peeled, and pureed sweet potato*

·         ½ cup (113 g) sugar

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         Cinnamon for sprinkling on top (optional)

·         Pie crust, refrigerated until ready for use

1.       Carefully, without shaking it, open the can of refrigerated coconut milk, scoop out the fat (the thick white cream that sits on top), and place it into a food processor. Keep the liquid that’s left over in the can—you’ll use it later.

2.      Add the maple syrup and arrowroot and blend until completely smooth.

3.      Add the sweet potato, sugar, and vanilla and puree, mixing in coconut water as needed. You want the filling to be a thick, very smooth, almost paste-like cream.

4.      Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

5.      Pull the refrigerated dough from the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round; just make sure it’s large enough to fit your pie dish. Carefully press the rolled-out crust into the dish and cut off the extra dough around the edges using scissors or a sharp knife.

6.      Scoop the filling into the pie pan.

7.      If you prefer a two-crust pie, you can take the extra dough and re-roll it out to make shapes or a lattice for the top. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon, if using.

8.      Bake the pie until the crust begins to brown. This could be anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes, depending on your oven. Once the crust is golden brown, remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

9.      Serve at room temperature, or sometimes slightly chilled is preferable. Refrigerate any leftovers.

*You can bake or boil the sweet potatoes—I wrap mine in aluminum foil and bake them at 450°F (230°C) for 1 hour, then peel off the skin after they cool down a bit.

Credit line: Recipe from The Plantiful Table: Easy, From-the-Earth Recipes for the Whole Family, copyright © Andrea Duclos, 2015. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com 

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