Without question, I love this time of the year.
Especially now with little ones and seeing the excitement in their eyes as they see Christmas lights for the first time, or bubble over at the thought of a LIVE TREE in our house! Reading Christmas stories at night, baking cookies to give to others, teaching them the joy to give and receive. Sharing with them the true meaning of Christmas – this season is not only warm and cozy, but it fills our hearts. And it reminds me just how very blessed we are to have been given these two little lives.
That doesn’t mean each and every moment is easy or handled correctly – but I really do believe this is the most wonderful time of the year. Even losing my Mom in early 2016, just days after Christmas…she loved Christmas and instilled so many wonderful memories and traditions in our family. We’ll never not feel her absence or stop yearning for her to still be with us. But the season reminds me of how well loved I was and am, and how important it is that I love others well, especially my husband and children. The way my mom loved us.
Aside from the sentimental reasons that I love this time of year, Josh and I have recently realized we are people who are drawn to the cozy. So Fall and Winter is where it’s at for us. We love doing things outdoors, the fresh air Spring brings and the adventure that comes with Summer – but at the core, we’re cozy people.
Which brings me to these Vegan Lentil Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – they embody cozy. They’re hearty and filling, yet loaded with cool-weather seasonings like turmeric, cumin, and ginger. But perhaps best of all, they’re easy to make and loaded with nutrition. Which in the midst of all the parties and get-together, typically centered around an abundance of food, is a really good thing.
If you’re looking for a simple, healthy dish to fill in the gaps between the plethora of holiday get-togethers, let me highly suggest these tasty stuffed sweet potatoes!
This will likely be my last post before Christmas, but I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas, and I hope that whether you’re feeling the loss of someone special or perhaps the joys of an added family member {we’re feeling both}, that the day is special for you, and that most importantly you are surrounded by the people you love.
Vegan Lentil Curry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes washed
- 3/4 cup dry lentils
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 cup sweet onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 cup tomatoes finely chopped
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Top with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips {optional}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, wash sweet potatoes and prick multiple times with fork all over. Add to baking sheet and bake 40-45 minutes or until flesh is fully cooked and very soft.
- While sweet potatoes cook, add ¾ cups lentils to sauce pan with 1½ cups water, cover with lid and bring to boil, then simmer until cooked through. {Cook according to length of time on packaging, some cook in 15-20 minutes, others require more like 35-40 minutes.} Remove from heat once cooked.
- Meanwhile, add coconut oil, chopped onions and garlic to large sauce pan, cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, add chopped bell pepper and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes or until onions and garlic begin to golden.
- Add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, almond milk, and all seasonings and simmer on low for five minutes.
- Once sweet potatoes are cooked through, cut the skin off the top of each then use a fork to break apart and mash the cooked flesh.
- Top each sweet potato with 1/6 lentil curry mixture. Garnish with fresh herbs, serve hot.
Adapted from my Vegan Kabocha Squash Lentil Curry + Naan
