Health-Bent

Chili, Garlic, Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes

—

by

Megan Keatley
in

I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything–and I don’t really see that changing much in the future. A few reasons why: a.) We’ve got our fingers crossed that our CrossFit gym will f.i.n.a.l.l.y. be open by the end of November, which means virtually zero time logged in the kitchen and b.) I’ve been doing a lot of reading and I’m pretty much “out of love” with the Paleo Diet, the circle jerks, the zealots, and the “true believers” that go along with it. Honestly, I’m not sure where I am with it, regarding this website.

I’m a chronic self-experminter when it comes to diet and I most certainly don’t mean detoxes, deprivation or 30-day challenges–extremes that go hand-in-hand with Paleo. Neither of us believe in that–and we wrote about it on our book. I mean looking at what people with differing opinions have to say about food, diet, performance, quality of life, etc. and I plan on writing about what I’ve been eating and reading, probably next week.

Ingredients

  • 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • juice and zest of 1 lime
  • ~2 t chili powder
  • ~½ t granulated garlic
  • salt
  • neutral-tasting oil (high-oleic sunflower oil or butter would work great)

Method

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Place sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet, topped with a silicone mat, and toss with lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and about 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add enough so it looks like everybody is coated well.

Cook, undisturbed, until the sweet potatoes are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside–stirring around every 15 minutes–for about 30-45 minutes total–depending on how small your sweet potatoes are.

Once the sweet potatoes are done, place them in a serving bowl, and toss with the reserved lime zest and taste for flavor–usually needs a bit of salt.

Comments

39 responses to “Chili, Garlic, Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes”

  1. Carrie

    Don’t let those people get you down. Always make it about the food and nutrition…all that other stuff is just noise.

    Reply
  2. Aimee

    I’m with you on this. I love reading so am constantly experimenting. At the moment I feel I fit into a PHD style diet. Low carb makes my hormones crazy and I end up skipping periods – not something I want at 28 years old. Look forward to reading your thoughts on where you feel you fit right now.

    Reply
  3. Lauri

    You were one of the first LCHF pages I found and have enjoyed many of your recipes. I refuse to tell people that I follow a paleo or primal way of eating as I am sick of the ridicule, as well as the snark I encounter in paleo/primal forums, but I do best on it.

    Reply
  4. claire

    Thank you. I’ve fallen away from the crazy a little. I know what I can eat without feeling like a slug but I admit to eating oatmeal for breakfast EVERY DAY! Why, because I love it. Also we love the cookbook. So thanks for that.

    Reply
    1. Lynn

      I love oatmeal, too and I refused to give it up!!

      Reply
  5. Maria

    This looks great! A must make this week. I’m sad to hear your box won’t be open until end of Nov. I am heading home to Columbia to visit family and was hoping to drop in. I hope it’s open by my next trip!

    Reply
  6. Tara

    Please keep posting recipes with ever way of eating works for you! I love your recipes!!! I get a lot of ideas from here. Doesn’t matter what you eat to me. Everyone needs to figure out what works for them. We can always tweak things for us.

    Reply
  7. Brittany

    I will be sad to see your posts go if you do slow down. Part of what I love about your site is that you aren’t extreme. You eat good food that’s good for you regardless of what others think or what is so-called “paleo”. But good luck with the opening of your CrossFit gym!

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth

    Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try these. I know what you mean about falling “out of love” with the Paleo movement. I think stressing over my food choices has contributed to my chronic pain and only after throwing it all out the window did I really start to recover. I am still eschewing grains, but my diet isn’t nearly as strict.
    Just want you to know that I really appreciate this website. Your recipes are amazing and you seem to have a great perspective on food and lifestyle. Thanks for all you do.

    Reply
  9. Sharon

    Amen! Just keep cooking and sharing your recipes. We have your book and I use recipes from it and your website weekly. Seemingly simple with great flavors! Keep up the good work and good luck with your new gym!

    Reply
  10. TRuss

    Well, whatever you decide, thanks for posting from time to time. Like yourself, not sure I would classify myself as “Paleo” right now either. The whole movement, or whatever it is, is a bit overblown. I have to say I’ve even fallen a bit off of the CrossFit bandwagon. I like to lift heavy and get some sprints. Pizza on squat day is okay. Rice makes its way into my diet regularly and sweet potatoes are a daily item. This will be a good change of pace recipe…

    Reply
  11. Erica

    Your cookbook is my absolute favorite and has helped me so much. I love your blog and recipes and look forward to your posts! Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Shannon

    I look forward to reading about what you’ve been reading… I’m also a diet experimenter myself and don’t put labels on my diet. My interest in Paleo has led me to great sites like your own (in fact, yours was the first!) where I find myself looking up recipes for food free of a lot of the junk I spent the first 25 years of my life eating. However, I’ve decided that “Paleo-ifying” every one of my guilty recipes is NOT the same as actually just enjoying a non-Paleo treat here and there and I enjoy the occasional treat without guilt– if anything, it’s taught me more about “everything in moderation” because I can now recognize how different foods make me feel and while I won’t eliminate them, I’ll choose them less frequently.

    Reply
  13. AIMEE O

    Well, this makes me sad…I love your cookbook…I love how I bounce things off of you and your quick response to my questions. I am slowly converting my family but it’s a process. I made the pizza crust and the boys snarfed it up…it was so good! The ingredients are mostly “normal” and it’s fun to mix things up a lil. I’m not “purist” and I’m not perfect by any means–nobody is except the people that think they are! Thanks for all you do and I know you’ll succeed in whatever direction you choose to go.

    Reply
  14. Paula

    I am very happy with the paleo way. My husband’s doctor recommended it when he diagnosed my husband’s congestive heart failure. My husband lost 60 lbs in 3 months and lost 100 (yes, that’s, 100) points in his cholesterol. I won’t lie, he got back into road bike riding, too. The doc was shocked and impressed.

    I love eating these good-sized delicious meals with no guilt. I read The Paleo Solution, and the no grains makes total sense. So, I can’t understand how, knowing the basics of the diet, how one could “fall out of love” with the diet just because other people don’t agree. Sorry to hear that.

    Reply
  15. Kristin

    I’m sorry to hear you are both discouraged because I love your site and the recipes. Please don’t let the negative chatter get to you and try to remember that when someone finds what works for them, they suddenly think they have the magic pill for everyone else too. I say if you love cooking and have fun with this site then keep doing it. But don’t do it if you don’t love it anymore – it’s not worth it and we’ll be just fine.

    Reply
  16. Jen

    I’ve only been “paleo/primal” for 8 months. My body is still going through a period of adjustment and discovery. I’ve really enjoyed your website, and cookbook. You have very creative recipes, and I appreciate the break from almond four dependence. This website is the only one that I get email updates from, and is the only one that I’ve purchased a cookbook from. I’ve found your blatant honesty refreshing, and I will always be grateful to you for pointing the way toward nachos with sweet potato chips. (I actually use a mix of sweet potato and plantain.) 🙂

    Reply
  17. Jeanmarie

    Your recipes are great. I just bought your book recently and look forward to trying more of the recipes. I like your sensible approach.

    Don’t let the turkeys get you down!

    Reply
  18. Jamee

    I agree with you but I love your website. Please continue to develop and share delicious food. You don’t have to be associated with paleo. We will still follow you. Just ignore the crazies.

    Reply
  19. derp

    Sorry to hear you are out of love with the Paleo Diet, because I really like your recipes but even more than that, your attitude here which is funny and unpretentious. Other paleo diet websites are very often obnoxious in various ways, but you all are refreshing. Like someone else said, I don’t go around telling people I’m Paleo (-ish); I just do my own thing. And I don’t entirely avoid all the bad stuff either, but I am working to eliminate bad stuff out of my house and diet, and improving what remains. But when a flour burrito will put me TO SLEEP after lunch, at work, avoiding the excess carbs and wheat is a good idea. Anyway I hope your gym gets going well and that you can return to Paleo recipes, and fk the haters.

    Reply
  20. Lisa

    I was so happy to see a post from you in my inbox. I always look forward to your no-nonsense, real writing. You have terrific recipes and commentary. We will be happy whenever you get a chance to post. Good luck with the final steps toward opening day at the gym and rememeber: every little thing’s gonna be all right.

    Reply
  21. Daphne

    I have found the paleo diet to be extremely useful for digestive healing. Long term I like the paleo philosophy – eat high quality, whole foods and limit sugar. I do plan on eating non-gluten grains (I’m celiac), legumes and dairy as I can tolerate them. I would love it if you could continue “Health-Bent/ Healthy Living Recipes”. It’s amazing how many sites have recipes with tons of sugar in everything. I know I’m not the only one who would appreciate good tasting, healthy recipes even if they aren’t paleo!

    Reply
  22. James Dunn

    There is a lot of passion involved in all these diets. I mean, most of us just love food, so it is easy to see why the passion. Still, a moderate approach can do wonders.

    Reply
  23. Tess

    Wow. I’m feelin’ kinda sad or even, dare I say, betrayed. I just bought your book and now you say you don’t know if you support that way of eating any longer? I was never one of the zealots, so I was glad to see your relaxed and “real life” approach. Better still, my body is responding. Hope you share more about what you have been thinking and reading.

    Reply
    1. megan keatley

      tess, we still believe in and eat those recipes. it’s the feedback we got from them that made us realize that we’re trying to shove our definition of ‘health’ into the term paleo–and we’re not gonna do it anymore.

      beyond that, a few other things have changed a bit. i think calories matter. i don’t think carbs are evil and i eat a lot more of them now, and that includes things like potatoes, rice, quinoa and spelt/millet/etc. from time to time. inline with that, i’ve reduced my fat intake, not because i think it’s bad for me, it just isn’t helping my reach my goals. i think this fascination with extreme restriction and deprivation has come from the “top” down, and i don’t want to be associated with the disordered eating it induces. i am a HUGE fan of moderation, and that’s where i am now.

      betrayed? i hope you don’t really feel that way. i’m trying to be honest about how i feel–after all, we strive to keep an open mind about things and we’re health-bent, not paleo-bent. i feel it would be much more dishonest and disingenuous if i just kept up appearances.

      Reply
      1. Tess

        Thanks for the clarification. I can’t say I follow strict Paleo, either (mainly because I think I’d die without dairy), and I appreciate your honesty. Thank you.

        Reply
      2. Bridget

        Thanks for continuing to keep it real! Am I disappointed that your updates will come less frequently? Sure, because your recipes are always awesome, but this website shouldn’t be your life. You two have always been open and honest about the fact that you weren’t in it to be the best caveman and you helped me see that a lot of what other paleo/primal people scream about really doesn’t impact health.
        So, in the mean time, thanks for the new recipe and I’ll keep checking to see when you add something new. Until then, I’ll keep trying the recipes in the cookbook. (I’m having a hard time getting past the strawberry waffles which might be the best grain-free thing that I’ve ever eaten!)
        Good luck with the opening of your gym and remember, for every one person who complains, there are at least a hundred of us who think what you all are doing is great!

        Reply
      3. David

        Does you book take this same approach? Just curious, as I am really turned off by the paleo zealots, but love paleo as a template to start experimenting and seeing what works for you. Looking for a good cookbook that doesn’t drench every recipe in coconut oil or butter, and incorporates sweet potatoes as well as some of the carb sources you mentioned above.

        Reply
  24. Paleosphere News Roundup – 18 October 2013 | Must Love Paleo

    […] [Health-Bent] Chili, Garlic, Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes […]

    Reply
  25. Ashley

    Please keep sharing your ideas…I love your food! I love crossfit and I just want to eat good food, I could careless about following a specific diet. I love your stuff so don’t late the haters get you down!

    Reply
  26. Lukas

    I love garlic! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll definitelly try it!

    Reply
  27. Sarah T

    Awww Megan! I’m so sorry to read this. Like all the other commenters on here, I couldn’t agree more that you are one of the few “Paleo” (quotes inserted so nobody thinks I’m saying you’re strict Paleo, ha!) bloggers that I follow. Your cookbook is one of 2 “paleo” cookbooks (other is Mark Sisson’s) I keep on my counter and use recipes from every week, in spite of the fact that I’ve actually purchased 2 other strict paleo books and sent them back because I thought the recipes were so basic and boring and must have been written for people that had absolutely no kitchen experience. I LOVE your approach and your recipes. I completely support the notion that strict paleo is NOT for everybody and is merely a good jumping off point. It’s so important to figure out what works for each of us and recognize that diet is not, nor will ever be a one-size-fits-all. I tell everybody about your book and your website because I feel like you guys take a much more real-life/real-person approach to nutrition and diet.

    I completely stand by you, I totally eat rice/quinoa/potatoes from time to time, and I support you guys 100%. Let the haters hate! So tired of this elitist paleo bullshit! Rock on with your bad self, girl! You are an amazing cook and I wish you and Brandon the best in your Crossfit gym effort. Keep up the incredible work!

    Oh and if you guys ever make it out to to my neck of the woods in Sonoma County, let’s hang out and raise a glass of amazing wine to your awesomeness.

    Reply
    1. Sarah T

      Oh and I meant to write that this recipe looks awesome, too – totally adding it to the menu this week!

      Reply
  28. Kira

    Please don’t stop completely. I understand other things come up and might keep from frequent updates, but I love that you aren’t super strict Paleo freaks. Your recipes are so simple and delicious. Every other site I’ve tried either has overly complicated recipes and they make you feel like a jerk for adding non-paleo like cheese (I love cheese!). Good luck with the gym, but please don’t totally leave us behind. Just an idea…how about you just expand from only Paleo. The site is “Health-bent” NOT “recipes for the obsessed: so-strict-you-want-to-die” 😀

    Reply
  29. kevin

    Done with the circle jerks, zealots and true believers but opening a Crossfit gym….good luck my friends.

    Reply
  30. Laura Walters

    I tend to read Chris Kresser more than anyone because he really reads and understands the science, he is not dogmatic, and he is interested in people finding the way of eating that works for them. Your book is one of the few I really use a lot. That said, it’s the crossfit zealots that irritate me. 😉

    Reply
  31. Chris

    Hi Megan,

    This was excellent. I am kind of sad that you are going off the grid- I love your recipes and your attitude. Don’t let the crazy paleo zealots bring you down- anyone that is that obsessed with anything has mental issues. I have followed Mark Sisson for a long time, and love his attitude of 80/20 also his zen like attitude of connecting with nature, and your attitude is kind of like his. You only live once, and I am not going to give up peperoni pizza once a month because it isn’t paleo, or drinking booze- that is just silly. Anyway please consider posting recipes and keeping up the website. Good luck with the gym.

    Chris

    Reply
  32. Nate

    I haven’t got to try this recipe yet, but I will.

    I just wanted to say that you have put out some amazing recipes and your style of cooking is very appealing. If you don’t post as often, then so be it. Please continue to maintain the website though, I recommend this website to everyone I know that is looking to eat healthy or a real food style diet. Keep up the good work and looking forward to what you come up with next!

    Reply
  33. Recipes | Health and Wellness Consultants, Inc.

    […] Chili, garlic & lime roasted sweet potatoes […]

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