Easy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

These baked sweet potato fries have become a staple in my household. We have them for dinner, my daughter loves them as snacks. They are a perfect balance of sweetness in taste and crispiness in texture!

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• salt and pepper
• smoked paprika, cinnamon or a seasoning of your choice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry the sweet potatoes well. With the skin on, cut them into matchstick size, adjusting to your preference of thickness.
3. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Toss in coconut oil, salt and pepper. Add in extra spices (optional).
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping the fries once or twice, until they are tender in the middle and brown on the edges.

Cauliflower with almond, raisin and curry vinaigrette

I had this delicious dish from Lemonade and was determined to try making it myself soon as I could get to a kitchen. To make the curry vinaigrette, there are more steps than I'd like for every day cooking, but once you've made a batch, you can put it in quinoa or practically anything that can soak up it's rich flavor. 

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup Curry Vinaigrette 

Ingredients for the Curry Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 granny smith apple, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs turmeric
• 1 Tbs curry powder
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs honey or maple syrup
• 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tbs orange juice
• salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 - 450 degrees F. ( I like my cauliflower slightly charred so I prefer 450.) Put the cauliflower in a large baking pan, drizzle with oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes till charred and tender. Turn the cauliflower once or twice. 

To prepare the curry oil, put a small pot over medium-low heat and coat with 2 Tbs of oil. When the oil is hot, add apple and onion. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric and curry powder and cook for about a minute or 2, till the spices begin to darken but not burn.

Pour the remaining oil and stir everything together. Increase the heat to medium and bring the oil to a boil. Boil for 1 minute , then remove the oil from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Strain the oil into a container and discard the pieces of apple and onion.

To prepare the vinaigrette, in a mixing bowl, combine the mustard, honey, vinegar, lemon and orange juices. Gently blend with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the curry oil, lightly whisk until the ingredients just come together.

Put the roasted cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Add the almonds, raisins or dried cranberries. 

Toss with the curry vinaigrette to coat evenly. Serve warm or cold. 

Keep any leftover vinaigrette in an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to a week. Shake it up just before you are ready to use it.