Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Earlier in the month, I made the simplest mashed potatoes imaginable - see post for Basic Mashed Potatoes.  Here's a fun variation, using sweet potatoes instead of baking potatoes, and adding chipotle chiles for spice and brown sugar for sweetness.  You only need 2 of the chipotles from a 7-ounce can for this recipe; reserve the remaining chipotles and adobo sauce for another use.  I particularly like tempeh marinated in the adobo sauce and added to burritos. Or, try stir-frying leafy greens with a couple chopped chipotles for a quick side dish. 

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potato
• 1/2 cup plain non-dairy creamer
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (such as Casa Fiesta)
• 1/2 cup packed vegan brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

1. Place the sweet potato in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potato is tender.

2. Drain, and return the sweet potato to the pan.  Add the creamer, butter, and lime juice; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.  Return to the burner and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until heated through.

3. Remove 2 chiles from the can of chipotles and chop; reserve the remaining chipotles and adobo sauce for another use.  Add the chopped chiles to the sweet potato mixture, along with the brown sugar, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

As a main dish to pair with these sweet potatoes, you'll need something equally flavorful and full of spice to stand up to the chipotle.  Try rubbing a mixture of cumin and coriander over your favorite veggie protein, whether tempeh, seitan, or a serving of Match meat. I used Match pork and added green peas on the side to round out the meal, which made for a perfect fall evening.

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (about 2/3 cup), Calories 264 

Tasting Notes:

Any less brown sugar, and these would have been too spicy.  Any less chipotle, and they would have been too sweet.  So as you can guess, the balance was just right; a tingle on the tongue from the chiles, followed by a burst of sweetness from the sugar.  Very close in taste to streuseled sweet potatoes.  The only flavor I missed was the lime juice; it smelled delicious while I was mashing the potatoes and lime together, but by the time the chipotle and brown sugar were added in, that flavor got lost.  Go ahead and add a little bit more lime juice to taste.

Rating:
4