I have been waiting to share this recipe with you all week! This new creation as it came to me while I was at my parents’ home over the holiday weekend and it was prepared with love! I love when I am able to unwind and use seasonal ingredients while being creative in the kitchen.
I was in the kitchen talking with my mom on Thanksgiving and this recipe just came to me, which is such a perfect balance of essential beauty foods. It’s really simple and easy to make, and is a dish you can quickly prepare and throw in the oven while you go do other things. I love dishes like that!
This recipe has a hint of savory (from the curry, and a ‘lil ginger and salt), but tastes rich (from the coconut oil and small amount of coconut milk) and sweet (from the coconut nectar). It’s just balanced between everything. It’s not too curry-ish. My dad said this was his favorite dish at Thanksgiving, and he is NOT a curry fan, and won’t eat Indian food. My hub loved it too! They had thirds of this dish. Maybe that’s a great sign that dish is also great to make if you have a male friend or partner to cook for at any time.
I wanted to share some of the key components of the recipe:
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite winter foods as they are packed with beauty fiber, beta-carotene, potassium, vitamin C and iron! Sweet potatoes are the perfect base for a meal as they contain amazing antioxidants, which are compounds in plants that protect your cells from free radical damage.
Carrots
Carrots contain Vitamin A and antioxidants to protect the skin from sun damage. Consuming Vitamin A in it’s natural form, such as eating carrots, can help prevent premature wrinkling, acne, dry skin, pigmentation, blemishes, and uneven skin tone. Help your skin be beautiful from the inside out. Why orange on orange? I usually use some contrasting veggie colors, but I wanted to make this a super beta carotene dish. I just felt like using a lot of orange, so I went with that. 🙂
Coconut oil
Coconut oil has so many amazing properties. It contains a unique combination of medium-chain fatty acids that metabolism more quickly than other fat, giving you more immediate energy. It’s also anti-fungal and anti-viral, making it excellent for candida sufferers and those with low immunity. I highly recommend using coconut oil in the majority of recipes you make that call for oil (instead of vegetable or olive oil, which is more likely to degrade at high heat), including recipes where you bake the veggies.
Coconut milk
Coconut meat/milk is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Coconut milk or almond milk are an excellent substitution for traditional dairy products and you can feel good knowing the product you are consuming does not contain hormones or lactose. There’s just a little pit in this recipe.
Ginger
Ginger is an amazing beauty food that can assist the body in many ways, such as improving the absorption and stimulation of essential nutrients in the body. Ginger also helps assisting digestion, thereby improving food absorption and avoiding possible stomach ache. Ginger can help the bodies immune system stay strong and ward off colds and sickness especially during the winter. This is a great time to give your body that boost!
Curry
I love using curry in recipes for its’ anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant power. There are many different curry mixtures you can try, but most include healing spices like turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon and ginger. Depending on the blend, and where your curry is from, it can contain mustard seed, cayenne pepper and cardamom — which are excellent for your metabolism and digestion.
Candied Curried Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1.5 Tbs. coconut oil (liquefied. Heat near stove if solid) + enough for greasing pan
- 3 Tbs. coconut milk
- 3 Tbs. coconut nectar or maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp. grated ginger
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. curry
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. While it is getting warm, cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces similar to how you see in the pictures above. Also cut the carrots into 1 inch pieces and grate your ginger.
Next, toss the sweet potatoes and carrots in a mixing bowl. Mix the coconut oil, coconut nectar, ginger, salt and curry together in a bowl, then toss through the veggies. Bake for one hour before serving, or until the sweet potatoes have softened.
This recipe is delicious as a side, but hearty enough to be a main dish, topped on a big kale salad. Either way, I’m sure you’ll love it and look forward to seeing pictures when you make it.
Enjoy!
Love,
Kimberly
What is the coconut milk used for?
Just bought your book! I am excited about making changes to my life so I feel and look better.