Sweet Potato Coconut Oatmeal Cups

Featured Ingredient: Coconut Butter

A couple weekends ago, I attended a big health food show up here in Toronto. Let me tell you, it was all things coconut. Coconut flour, coconut sugar, coconut water, etcetera, etcetera. Coconut is definitely is a hot food trend at the moment.

Generally, that is a good thing as it’s not nearly the health pariah once thought. Tabi and I spent several weeks in Sri Lanka this past winter and if the fat in coconut is bad for your ticker, the entire country should be keeling over from heart attacks. They eat prodigious amounts of the stuff, yet data indicates such coconut loving nations have lower rates of coronary woes.

For the time being, coconut also remains a sustainable crop. However, with so many products now on the North American market you hope that rainforests are not going to be felled to plant coconut trees.

One of my favorite whole food coconut products on the market is coconut butter. It’s made by pureeing coconut flesh and is ridiculously good when slathered on a piece of toast. It can also add richness to baked items such as these sweet potato oatmeal cups. These are a great alternative to a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. The sweet potato puree adds earthy sweetness, while the triple shot of coconut will give your morning a bit of tropical flare. Look for coconut flour to become increasingly popular as it’s low glycemic and laced with dietary fiber.  

To punch things up, I made a berry coulis (a fancy word for a sweet dessert sauce) to accompany them. IMO it’s a dynamic duo.

As is the case every Wednesday, it’s time for another Muffin Tin Mania product giveaway. The kind folks over at Nutiva would like to award one of my readers with a jar of their very own Coconut Manna coconut butter to try out in this recipe or other kitchen creations. This stuff is seriously awesome. They have a bunch of other coconut products such as oil, flour and sugar as well.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post that says “I’m going nuts for Nutiva coconut” along with some way of identifying yourself such as your initials, name or email address and I will use this online tool to randomly select a winner. I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday October 17th, so if you entered write the date down on your calendar and check back in then for a chance to claim your prize. This contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Congrats to Stephanie who was randomly selected as the winner of some of the Nutiva Coconut Manna. Stephanie, just send me your shipping details using the contact tab above and I'll get some coconut butter sent your way. 

Sweet Potato Coconut Oatmeal Cups with Berry Coulis

1 lb. sweet potato, about 1 medium-large sized potato, peeled and chopped

1 1/4 cup large flake oats

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons coconut butter

1/2 cup coconut milk or other milk of choice

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coulis:

1 cup berries of choice, chopped

2 tablespoons honey, agave syrup or sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Steam, boil or roast sweet potato until very tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oats in a large bowl along with coconut flour, dates, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

Place sweet potato, eggs, coconut butter, coconut milk, honey and vanilla in a blender container and blend until smooth.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine.

Divide oat mixture among 10 standard sized greased or paper lined muffin cups. Cook for 20 minutes, or until set. Let cool several minutes before unmolding.

To make the coulis, combine berries, honey and lemon juice food processor or blender container and let sit 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water to berry mixture, and purée until completely smooth. Strain berry mixture through a fine mesh sieve, stirring and pressing with wooden spoon or spatula to remove seeds and any skins.

Serve oatmeal cups warm with berry sauce.