Sweet Potato Casserole

I have had sweet potatoes on my mind. Sweet potato casserole, to be exact. It's a dish I associate with Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, but one that sounds good to me right now.

In my past life (the one before children), I made them "from scratch", buying yams or sweet potatoes and cooking them for the recipe. Today, I "cheated" with canned sweet potatoes. And today, I made them fit our family food issues, and I omitted the eggs, reduced the sugar by half, and used coconut milk intead of cow's milk.

This recipe comes from a gal I worked with in Tennessee many years ago. The recipe is quite adaptable, and I promise that it is delicious without the eggs, with half the sugar and using coconut milk to replace the cow's milk.

The recipe "as is" is more like a rich pie filling than a side dish, and it's addicting. It's as good hot out of the oven as it is cold out of the refrigerator as leftovers.

I'll type the original for you -- just know that modifying it to convert it to gluten and casein free is quite easy and very delish. The topping is optional. (PS: My mother makes the topping w/ oats instead of pecans.)

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

(original version)

3-4 cups of cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs beaten slightly
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Mix the above ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth.

Top with this mixture:

1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup pecan halves (optional)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.