Sesame Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Weekends disappear when you have a baby and a husband in law school. Not in a “That went by so fast!” way, but in a “What’s a day off?” kinda way. You know other people still get them, and you longingly remember when you got to enjoy them, but they are a rare occurrence in our busy little world and definitely not a weekly indulgence anymore. Lately, I’ve been using down time on the weekends to catch up on work that I didn’t get to last week or that I want to get a jump on for the next week. Today, however, the little one mercifully let me sleep in a little, so when she went down for her morning nap, I decided to take it easy this particular Saturday and use that free time to make something yummy that I could share with all of you. Two posts in one week! I’m on fire.

I think sweet potatoes are an every season food, but they are definitely suited to the cooler months, especially. I think it’s their warm orange or yellow color that makes it seem like they must be used as often as possible in the fall and winter. I had a few left over from a dinner last week, so I decided to serve them tonight with salmon and a kale salad. I plan on marinating the salmon in a teriyaki sauce before making it, so I thought it would be nice to give the sweet potatoes an Asian flare instead of simply steaming them as I normally would with fish.

 

There is a jar of sesame seeds sitting in my spice basket that I look at every time I go for the cumin (which I use a lot) or some other spice, and I think, “I definitely will use those again soon. Yes, I surely will.” And then I promptly forget to think up a recipe for them and they sit there for another day or week until I happen upon them again. So, I figured the canvas of delicious sweet potatoes would be the perfect place to add a salty, warm sesame sauce.

These turned out toasty, soft and perfectly sweet/salty. They were an awesome pairing for salmon and kale salad. I can’t wait to think up another use for my beloved sesame seeds. What are your favorite recipes for sesame seeds?

Ingredients //

3 small or 2 medium sweet potatoes
1T sesame oil
1/4T olive oil
1/2T soy sauce
1T sesame seeds
1/2tsp pepper

Recipe //

Preheat oven to 350°.

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into small, bite sized pieces.  In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until the sweet potatoes are coated well.

Pour the sweet potatoes onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring after 15.

Value food and cheer and song