Spicy Sweet Potato Bowl with Black Rice

I absolutely love this dish!  This spicy sweet potatoe bowl is filled with an array of unexpected flavors that when combined are so delicious and addicting! As its now Christmas Eve and New Years is quickly approaching, my body’s been craving extremely easy meals, ones that cook on there own, and this is the perfect dish for that!  I’ve been making variations of this for the past few weeks or so and it’s honestly amazing!  It’s the perfect easy meal that is filling, warming and has flavors of spice, heat, freshness and tang.  I swear it is absolutely delicious!  The sweet potatoes are cut very thinly so that in about 15 minutes they reduce to a tender bite that has absorbed all the beautiful aromas and spices that have also been blending into the caramelized onions.  During the last few minutes of cooking you squeeze fresh lime juice and add cilantro, which brings an unexpected freshness that just wakes up the dish!  The sweet potatoes are then topped on a bed of nutty black rice with slices of cooling avocados, which helps offset the heat from the mustard seeds, cumin and chili flakes.  It’s a beautiful melding of flavors that’s usually not enjoyed during this time of year.  I couldn’t recommend this more, especially if you’re looking to have a relaxing meal that tastes like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. 

Sweet potatoes are one of those foods that I could live off, along with dates.  And together they make the best dishes but I’ll save those for a later time.  Sweet potatoes really are a wonder food that I am completely addicted to.  They are widely available, inexpensive and are so delicious when roasted, used in baking recipes or wrapped up in a sushi roll!  They have nearly double the amount of fiber than white potatoes, giving 7 grams per serving!  Fiber is essential for releasing toxins and maintaining healthy digestion.  Sweet potatoes also have an unrivaled amount of beta-carotene and vitamin C and E, which are known as beauty foods.  These nutrients help keep our skin hydrated, creating that dewy glow and vibrant hair.  This is a fantastic meal and I hope you get to enjoy it with your family this holiday season!

Serves: 3

Prep Time: 7 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients for the Spicy Sweet Potato Bowl:

- 2 medium sweet potatoes or yams

- 1 celery stock

- 1 cup fresh cilantro

- 1 avocado

- juice of 1 lime

- 2/3 red onion

- 1 tablespoon coconut oil

- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds

- ½ teaspoon chili flakes

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- sea salt to taste

- ½ cup black rice

- 1 cup water

- 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions:

Start by preparing the rice by boiling 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of black rice, 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, and a teaspoon of sea salt.  Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer and let the rice cook for about 25-30 minutes or until all the liquid has absorbed.

On medium-high heat add the coconut oil, mustard seeds, chili flakes, cumin and sprinkle of salt to a large saucepan and warm until the mustard seeds start to pop, about 3 minutes (cover with a lid).  As this is cooking, roughly chop the red onion into bite size pieces and add them to the saucepan and warm for another 5 minutes.  As the onions caramelize, dice the sweet potatoes into very small pieces, no larger than a thumb nail, then add to the saucepan along with the water, and cover with a lid.  As this cooks, thinly cut the celery into small pieces and add to the saucepan with the juice of one lime and cover.  On medium-low heat cook the mixture for another 15 minutes or so until the sweet potatoes become tender.  Once it’s cooked, top with cilantro, sea salt, slices of avocado and black rice.  Finally enjoy!