I am a big fan of The Splendid Table on NPR. When this show comes on, I often shush the kids and strain to listen to it from beginning to end… which never really happens, because our house is full of talking and music and singing and banging and just general loud noises. But I was able to catch a small segment in the car about coconut oil and its health benefits.
When it came time to talk about ways to use coconut oil in cooking/baking, this jumped out at me:
One of my other favorite things to do is either take butternut squash or sweet potatoes and toss them with coconut oil, cinnamon and some sea salt and roast them in the oven. Coconut oil can take really high heat, so it can go up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit before becoming unstable. You can get some really nice high heat roasting on it.
And suddenly, I knew exactly what to do with those sweet potatoes I had lying on the counter top! But because I only had two small sweet potatoes (but plenty of other colorful root vegetables), I modified my approach. It turned out delicious!
Roasted Sweets with Coconut Oil & Fall Spices
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 carrots (I used purple carrots), quartered the long way, then sliced into triangular chunks
- 2 small potatoes
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil (preferably extra virgin, cold-pressed)
Chop all veggies and combine in a bowl. Heat coconut oil until liquid, then pour over veggies. Toss to coat (if the bowl is cold, the oil will almost immediately harden again — work quickly!). Add spices and salt, tossing once again. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes, until crispy on the outside, but still fork tender. Optional: combine veggies with 2 cups cooked quinoa for a delicious warm fall-inspired salad!
I love coconut oil! I use it to cook most days, and I use it on my kids often for their dry skin. It’s amazing!
That sounds amazing! I’m going to try it & see if my picky eaters agree.
Lynne Rossetto Kasper is a big fan of Sauce Magazine and has come in town once a year from some sort of event or another. I’ll keep my ear to the ground about one of her visits.
I LOVE roasted sweet potatoes! But. I’ve never tried coconut oil. Oddly enough, I’ve just dog eared several recipes that calls for it. Timely!
This looks like the lunch I am eating at the moment with the addition of beets and brussel sprouts. Love roasted veggies all through fall and winter. I am going to try roasting with coconut oil next time. Looking for podcasts of The Splendid Table now.
Thanks for the tips!
I heard that episode on Sunday as well! 🙂
Love the coconut oil. I almost exclusively use cast iron, and leave a thin oily patina on my frying pan after using it. Coconut oil tends to solidify at room temp and looks a little weird on the pan as a result, but I’ve found that it doesn’t get funky after a day like vegetable oil does.
Have you tried coconut butter? It’s just processed coconut meat (not refined like the oil). It’s not appropriate for frying, but is just incredibly delicious off the spoon (not something I’d do with the oil). I give it to my son as a “treat” (how many “desserts” have antimicrobial properties, contain fats to support growing baby brains, and have no added sugar??), add it to homemade almond butter, and use it as a thickener in vegan desserts.
No, Veronika, I’ve never heard of coconut butter… but now I’m going to look out for it. Do you have a preferred brand? It sounds amazing!
I love Artisana, it tends to be pretty uniform. It’s super solid, so just scrape a little with a spoon off the top to eat 🙂 Sometimes the oil ends up on top, but if that’s the case you should be able to notice right away (don’t be turned off if that’s the case, just keep digging!). Warm up a little and mix up, or just keep scraping until you get to the solid stuff, y’know?
I’ve had MaraNatha, but I think it was a little dry for me. I’ve also heard that the Coconut Manna by Nutiva is good, but I haven’t had it myself.
I heart Lynne Rossetto Kasper – I met her once for a book signing, so I have her autograph on “How to Eat Supper”. Our family has many favorites from that cookbook that we make on a regular basis.
Whenever I find that I have the time to listen to her whole show, it’s like the best weekend treat ever.
Yumsies… I love coconut oil as well (just finished my morning toast spread with it in fact!). I actually had to take a break a couple weeks back because I was saturated, but now I’m back 🙂 Those roasted veggies look delicious.