Sweet Potato Pancakes

 

In 2009 my friend Liz gave me the book The Artist’s Way.  It was the perfect moment in my life for such an undertaking and I dove into it headfirst, letting it do its magic on me.

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The Artist’s Way is a workbook by Julia Cameron (author, teacher, playwright, filmmaker, composer) about unblocking the Creative—a 12-week program of readings and art-homework to help people retrieve and nourish their inner Artist.  The backbone of her process is the practice of writing three pages every morning—she calls them Morning Pages.  This is not about ‘good writing’, the exercise is meant to let the physical activity of non-stop writing help you with flow and let go of thinking and judging.

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I finished the book years ago, but as of today I am on Week 181 of writing my Morning Pages!  I can’t stop, they’re highly addictive.  Now my problem is to figure out what to do with this stack of full notebooks!  I just want to burn them, but I’m also amazed that I actually wrote that much.  I suppose that is why we have cameras…so I can burn the notebooks but still have a photo to feed my amazement.

 

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Recently a friend asked me for suggestions on what to eat when they cannot eat grains and it brought to mind the various mashed-vegetable-cake ideas I have seen and made.  These little pancakes can be altered to fit your needs, but I kept this recipe simple so it could fit into a non-grain or paleo diet.

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I LOVE this coconut oil for sauteing and frying (and making popcorn).   You can find it at natural food stores, co-ops, or online.  Read more about coconut oil here.

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I make the pancakes small because they hold together better than large cakes.

Squash can easily be substituted for the sweet potatoes…hmm I wonder if parsnips would work.  I also have tried them with buttermilk and it was quite tasty.

 

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Sweet Potato Pancakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes   Cook Time: 30 minutes for the sweet potatoes, 10 minutes for the cakes

 

Roast then peel, or peel then boil:

1 large orange Garnet or Jewel Sweet Potato (commonly called Yams in the U.S.)

Mash or puree them when soft and fully cooked.  

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Mix in a bowl:

1 cup Sweet Potato Puree

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Almond Meal or Coconut Flour (or Rice Flour if you are not avoiding grains)

3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Dash of Nutmeg

Dash of Salt

Whisk everything together. 

In a cast iron or heavy saute pan, fry the cakes using:

Coconut Oil—I added more oil for each cake.

MAKE THEM SMALL—they hold together better. 

 

Eat with sweet treats like :

  • Butter and Maple Syrup
  • Almond Butter and Yogurt
  • Fruit

Or savory:

  • Grilled Jerk Chicken
  • Baked Beans
  • Sautéed Greens
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181 Weeks x 7 days x 3 pages = 3,801 pages – missing a few days here and there = approximately 3,750 pages

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