My plan for today was to end my summer with a seasonably appropriate meal, using the sweet corn and beets I have in my fridge in a big old warm weather send-off meal.
It's been raining ceaselessly all day, and I didn't want sweet corn. Looking out at the huge pond forming on our roof, I wanted to use the vat of coconut oil I have, purchased on a whim after reading this New York Times article extolling it earlier this year--yes, I went for the 28 oz jar having never used it before. The coconut oil is interesting, it comes in solid form and melts at 78 degrees.
Coconut-Scented Sweet Potato-Chickpea Bake
1 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons agave syrup or maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg.
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (pretty spicy!)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat.2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons agave syrup or maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg.
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (pretty spicy!)
2. In a bowl, mixed together coconut oil, syrup, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.
3. Coat potatoes and chickpeas in coconut oil mixture separately.
4. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 1 hour. With about 20 minutes left, add chickpeas to the baking sheet and continue roasting.
I made this recipe from the article, but of course made my own variations on a theme. I served it with some brown rice and lightly steamed kale drizzled with tahini and balsamic. The apartment smelled heavenly and beachy while the potatoes and chickpeas were roasting. Perfect fuel for the seven mile rain run I went for after. That's all for this school night.
