During the colonial period, English settlers introduced their penchant for pies to the Americas. African Americans in the South acquired a taste for and the ability to make pies which they made both with the African yam and the American sweet potato. Enslaved African Americans only splurged on such rich desserts on holidays like Thanksgiving. Thus, for many African Americans, sweet potato pie became associated with holidays. On these special days, the enslaved received time to cook pies. I’ve been modifying traditional recipes for years, trying to make them healthier. Here’s my own sweet potato pie recipe as best I can describe it because I am a cook it from scratch type of guy in the kitchen.
Fred's Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
4 to 6 large baked organic sweet potatoes (My mother in law taught me that baking the sweet potato makes the pie come out better than boiling them which is what a lot of folks do. Like steaming, baking is also healthier than boiling because it preserves the water soluble vitamins in the sweet potatoes).
2 large eggs or egg substitutes
1 cup of the thickets best tasting vanilla soy milk you can fine (try Silk’s very vanilla, or Vitasoy Vanilla)
1-2 cups unprocessed sugar
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
Dash of vanilla extract
Directions:
Mix the ingredients into a sweet potato purée add milk as needed to make a smooth but thick filling. Bake in a pie crust shell (remember add a little fiber to your crust recipe
