Get Cooking | Spiced Coconut Sweet Potato

I have been a vegetarian for almost 4 years now. And, I’ll be completely honest with you, my tastes have transformed in the last 4 years. The list of vegetables that I actually liked was very small when I first made the decision to stop eating animals. (Broccoli, carrots, lettuce… I think that’s about it) In the last 4 years I’ve learned so much. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you’d be surprised by how much you love vegetables, you just don’t like how they are cooked. Even as a vegetarian, I’m very picky about how my vegetables are cooked. For that reason I don’t usually like vegetables at restaurants and you’ll never see me order a side of mixed veggies with my dinner (yuck). At home though, I pretty much live on veggies. And now that I’ve learned how to cook them well, I love so many things! Zucchini, eggplant, onions, potatoes, peas, corn, beans, sprouts, bamboo, bell peppers, spinach, artichokes, corn, chick peas, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes I could probably go on forever.

One of my go-to lunches when I’m pressed for time (or snacks when I’m craving something warm and comforting) is steamed sweet potatoes. You can really go one of two ways with them: sweet or salty. I like to alternate between the two. Sweet potatoes are soooooo good for you. They are loaded with vitamin C, magnesium, and beta carotene (as found in lots of yellow and orange produce) which is good for your eyes (remember your mom telling you to eat your carrots for the same reason?) and fights cancer. There are 10 carotenes in nature and they are only synthesized in plants. So you know what that means… EAT YOUR VEGGIES!

They are a late summer/fall havest which means they’re coming into season and you’ll be able to pick them up on the cheap. That also means that they’ll be tasting their very best for the next months. I looked it up and there are only 24 calories in a steamed sweet potato. Which is technically what this is. But it only takes about 5 minutes. That’s right, you can make this in less time than it would take you to drive to Taco Bell. ;)

To steam a sweet potato in FIVE minutes:
Wash the sweet potato well under running water. Poke holes around the sweet potato with a fork (this will let steam out while it cooks). Dampen a paper towel and wrap it around the sweet potato. (That keeps the skin moist.) Place on a plate and microwave for 4 minutes. Allow to sit in the microwave for 1 minute. The steam on the inside will continue to cook it. If the sweet potato doesn’t feel mushy enough for your liking you can rotate it on the plate, recover, and microwave it for another minute. TA DA!

To make Spiced Coconut Sweet Potatoes:
Cut the potato in half and score both sides lightly with a butter knife. Spread butter (I use Earth Balance vegan butter) all over both sides and sprinkle with cinnamon. I like a lot of cinnamon so my sweet potato looks chargrilled by the time I’m done with it. ;) Sprinkle coconut flakes all over the top and enjoy!

Other ideas:
-Top the sweet potato with cheddar cheese, chili beans, and tabasco for a spicy sweet and extremely filling lunch.
-Add cinnamon and marshmallows and microwave for 20 seconds for a Thanksgiving-style sweet potato.
-Top with seasoned black beans, black pepper, and diced green bell pepper.
-Top with butter, cinnamon, and almond butter, and a drizzle of honey.
-The options are ENDLESS!