Nov 15

Nov 15 Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Dinner, Gluten Free, Paleo, Party Food, Sides, Slow Cooker, Whole30, Vegan

When it’s Thanksgiving, you quickly realize that you do not have a kitchen built for such a large meal. At least that is what I always think! I need like 12 burners on my stove, 8 ovens, and 4 fridges to get everything done. Ok, ok, total exaggeration but you know what I mean. After years of juggling spaces, I decided I needed to get creative. First, I make as much as possible ahead of time and then I just have to reheat while the turkey rests and the other is use my trusty slow cooker. Just plug one of those babies in and you can have it cooking away without worry of space or time.

We have never been those people who swear by the sweet potato casserole with sugar and marshmallows, sweet potatoes are naturally sweet enough to us! I wanted to make something that would satisfy those sweet tater lovers but with health in mind. This is simple and comforting without added sugar and comes together in no time. Just drop everything into the slow cooker and you have a beautiful side dish. And this is good enough to serve on days other than the Turkey Day, awesome for post workout carbs, so so good. The best part is this is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and can be nut free with a swap detailed below. That means, everyone at the table can enjoy it, which isn’t it nice when everyone is happy and taken care of?

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes and Apples

6 cups (about 4 medium) sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2” cubes
3 cups (about 2) Granny Smith apples, chopped into 1/2” cubes
1/2 cup dried cranberries, sweetened with apple juice if Whole30
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle
3 Tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon salt + more to taste if needed
1 cup pecans, swap for pumpkin seeds if nut free

- Combine all ingredients, excluding the nuts, into the slow cooker. Stir to combine and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours

- When the sweet potatoes are ready, toast the pecans in a dry pan on low heat until they are toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

- Roughly chop the pecans and stir into the sweet potatoes. Season with additional salt if needed.

To me, this just screams FALLLLLLLLLLLL

Sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped, into the slow cooker.

Apples, chopped and dumped on top of the sweet potatoes. I prefer to use Granny Smith apples because they are tart to balance the dish out and they don’t turn to total mush.

I snuck in the dried cranberries on top of the apples and then got to the spices. Cinnamon and chipotle make a warm and spicy balance. You can use melted ghee or coconut oil, I used the ghee for extra flavor along with a bit of salt. Just mix it all up!

So pretty, those jewel tones get me every dang time! Just cook on LOW for 4-6 hours

Toast your pecans or seeds for extra flavor, these little gems are from my grandma’s pecan trees in Oklahoma so they make it extra special. Then just chop them up and add them to the slow cooker mix.