Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potato and A Nomination

The reason why I started this food blog was because I was stuck in a rut, feeling uninspired and in dire need of some creativity in my life - I also wanted to learn to cook properly and develop a healthy relationship with food and cooking. Mostly, I wanted to tell stories. 


Fast forward one year and I can honestly say that I have surprised myself with how much happiness this blog has brought me. I feel creative and I love putting something out there into the world. I can also say with hand on my heart that I am proud of what I have made. That is a big thing for me to admit - especially for a person who has suffered from the odd bout of low self esteem throughout their life.

You can imagine how happy I was when my friend David from the divine blog Cocoa and Lavender told me that he had nominated me for a Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling! David had been nominated for the award and in turn, nominated me along with four other amazing blogs whose stories inspired him and made him happy.


I have found that with my own blog, telling a story to go with my food and photos is one of the most important elements to each post I make. I simply couldn't send a recipe out there without a story to go with it - I just love it.
Part of my nomination involves me, in turn, nominating five blogs who I feel show excellence in storytelling. 

The posts and stories that these people write never fail to entertain and inspire me in so many different ways: 


Miss T from The Pink Leopard: http://www.thepinkleopard.net/   
Leaf from The Indolent Cook: http://theindolentcook.blogspot.com.au/
John from He Needs Food: http://heneedsfood.com/
Thanh from Eat,Little Bird: http://eatlittlebird.com/ 
Rachel from The Food Sage: http://thefoodsage.com.au/


Head over to their blogs to see why I feel they deserve the Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling.

In other news; the other day I discovered coconut oil.... 

I mean, I knew that it existed, but I had always thought that it was one of those things (like duck fat) that you should really only have in extreme moderation. Actually, I thought it was one of those things that you shouldn't even have in moderation - I thought that you should only have once or twice in your lifetime..and you should feel very guilty while eating it.   

Not so! I have discovered that I can put (virgin unprocessed) coconut oil in the "eat in moderation box" and here's why*: 

1. It has a natural sweetness to it which means that you can use less sugar in your baking.
2. A little goes a long way; the oil is solid and becomes liquid when warmed - which means less waste and less unwanted oil.
3. It is heat stable which means that you can fry at a high temperature and the food is less likely to soak up too much oil. Because of it's stability, it is also resistant to rancicity and can live up to two years in the cupboard.
4. It is high in saturated fat so it goes without saying that you probably shouldn't chow on it everyday - but, it is free from trans-fats, it is better for you than butter.
5. There are many other health benefits too, here are some links for further reading:

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html            
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cholesterol/coconut-oil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil

And here are a few totally non-food related but oh so pleasurable coconut oil beauty tips:

1. It makes a fantastic hair mask- just warm a small amount (see: :"a little goes a long way") in your hands and rub it through the ends of your hair. Pop a showercap on, go about your business and after an hour or so, wash it out...you're welcome.
2. Rub some into your cuticles: it smells fantastic and softens those winter-worn cuticles - do it at the same time as doing your hair treatment. 
3. Mix equal parts sugar with coconut oil for an amazing body scrub. This leaves your skin soft and smelling like you are on a tropical island.

Ok, enough with the beauty, let's get back to food - however (since I am spreading the link love today) if you want to see a fabulous beauty blog, head on over to Me, My Best and I. Julie seriously knows her stuff and she writes the most entertaining posts; they always inspire and make me smile. 


So as you can probably tell, I am now in love with coconut oil and I believe that we are going to have a very happy winter (and beyond) together. 

 

I then infused the oil with chilli and kaffir lime leaves and roasted some sweet potato** wedges/chips in it. This was a very good move, a very good move indeed (bwahaha). 
You only need 1 tablespoon of oil per giant sweet potato and the kaffir lime (like a high-five from the food gods) perfumes the entire tray without competing with the natural sweetness and taste from the coconut oil. The chilli is there as almost a reminder to come back down to earth once you start gorging on them. 

I hope I have convinced you to start something quite special with coconut oil - I know the two of you will be very happy together.

* The purple and white sweet potato was a gift from my work-mate, I have never seen them in the shops before but it sure was pretty - I LOVE different coloured veggies!
**This information should in no way be seen as health advice. I found this information from a number of sources around the web and from the lable on the jar. 

Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potato
2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into any shape you like
4 Kaffir Lime Leaves- finely chopped
1 Tbsp dried chilli flakes
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - 1tbsp per sweet potato 
1 Cup shaved coconut chips
Sea salt flakes to taste

• Pre-heat your oven to 180-190C
• Add the coconut oil, kaffir lime leaves and chilli to a small saucepan. Over a low heat, melt the oil and infuse the ingredients for 5 minutes.
• In a dry pan, toast the coconut chips until just brown, set aside.
• On a baking sheet, toss the potato with the oil taking care to coat each piece. Sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes, (tossing them halfway through cooking) or until they are cooked through and the edges are crispy. 
• Toss the sweet potato with the coconut, season to taste and serve while hot - though they are pretty awesome cold the next day too.