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Stay with me here. You may have read the title of this post and thought: “Vanilla? That has no place with sweet potatoes!” But you know what? It’s actually real delicious, I promise.

I’m almost about halfway done with my January Whole30 and it is flying right by this time around. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but when I did my first Whole30 back in January 2018, I had no clue about the plated fat rule. Now that I know about it, it’s made such a huge difference and I can totally understand why that is a requirement when building a plate. For those who don’t know, the plated fat requirement is just what it sounds like: when you plate your food, you then have to add another fat to the plate. Cooking your eggs in avocado oil or tossing your sweet potatoes in ghee (like this recipe calls for!) is great, but you need to add something to the plate once it is all built to meet the plated fat requirement. Dressing on top of a salad. Half an avocado on your plate. Campfire Sauce to dip your fries in. You get the picture. This keeps you fuller longer, so you are less tempted to snack in between your meals.

The more days that pass, the less tempted I am to snack in between meals. After dinner used to be a big one for me. I love sitting on the couch with Mike, putting a movie in, and sharing a little bowl of my favorite Enjoy Life mega chunks. That habit got a little out of control over the holidays (okay, really for like the last 75% of 2020…we had ourselves a YEAR am I right?!), so that’s really why I felt the need to partake in January Whole30 this time around. I’m not even halfway done with it I realize, but I think I can say with certainty that it was the right move for me at this time.

One thing that’s really been on my mind throughout this Whole30 is sweet potatoes. I’m not a huge sweet potato fan usually, so it felt unusual to crave them, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them so I knew I had to make them. I also heard through the grapevine that vanilla extract is back ON the Whole30 menu. Since I really only use vanilla extract in baking and in smoothies, two Whole30 no-no’s, I thought about using it in something like this. And I think it paid off! This recipe would be great as a side dish during the holidays, but right now I am loving it as a side dish at breakfast. Give them a go and let me know what you think!

thehungryhungryhiker

Cinnamon Vanilla Sweet Potatoes

A perfect side dish for a festive holiday dinner, or alongside chicken apple sausages at breakfast!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and ~1" diced approx. 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • pinch sea salt

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Add the ghee to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sea salt and whisk with a fork to combine. Add in the sweet potatoes and toss in the bowl until completely coated. Pour the sweet potatoes out on a single layer on the sheet pan and use a fork to separate them. They should be touching as little as possible.
  3. Bake at 400° F for 25 minutes, or until fork tender. Serve hot and enjoy!