Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas
English spring is almost upon us, little bright yellow daffodils are scattered everywhere giving my family hope brighter days are ahead. With spring comes the beginning of camping season. We are so excited to gather our gear and begin testing out new tips and tricks.
Serve your team a hot and satisfying meal after running around outside all day. Did you say a hot camping meal without pan scrubbing? Sign me up! Cheers to no pan scrubbing!
Just like kids outgrow sleeping bags, kids outgrow or simply change their mind on meals that might have been golden last year or the year before. Kids are fickle creatures and while most will eat provided they are hungry enough, great food everyone can enjoy help even the most overworked parental units chill.
Fast, easy and healthy food seems to be a bit of an elusive trifecta but this recipe checks all the boxes. Stuffed kids are happy kids, am I right? Kids full of nutrient dense food are happy kids even longer.
Easy prep: Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas
I’ll all about natural ingredients and easy clean up so I was stoked to test out Amelia’s Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas. This recipe hits all our boxes from tin foil clean up to nutrient dense vegetarian options for a VERY picky eater.
Note: This recipe will be appearing in Amelia’s NEW cookbook coming at the end of the summer!
Speaking of picky eaters, this recipe can easily be adapted for our special needs crew. The texture of chickpeas are a no-go for Leela so I made a her potato without chickpeas. I wanted to test the base recipe first before I add upon it. The base recipe passed so I will work on it from here.
With regards to protein, protein source can easily be modified as well. I plan to try lentils, quinoa, and another type of bean chosen by my sensitive child. Crushed nuts sprinkled on top would also be nice.
Cheap and easy ingredients for camping
Cheap and simple to find ingredients are essential to any camping food. Not to mention easy to find. Ideally, this Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas recipe can be made anytime, almost anywhere.
I did have a hard time finding Basil in March in England. I went to three stores, thought I got it on order only to be ghosted upon delivery.
Just when I had given up hope, my darling husband convinced me we needed to go to the grocery store just one more time and there she was. My new basil plant, I haven’t named her, but I’m open to suggestions. The girls call her Basil.
I even thought to myself, this plant is okay to buy because my mom-in-law will surely take care of her over the summer while we travel Europe and then home to Colorado. I saw how well she took care of her last basil plant though I’m uncertain why she chopped it down last winter but at least she will make it till then!
Super easy prep for Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas
Prep was simple, using one bowl and one big spoon and a few measuring spoons. I’d be lying if I said I let the kids help. Sometimes mama just need to prep and organize alone but this recipe is simple enough for kids to make.
That said, bright yellow curry coconut milk is a tricky bargain with little people and thus, tired parents be forewarned. I’ve stained many a counter, cutting board, shirt with that yellow. Be sure to wipe it up quickly.
The upside is the very staining turmeric is very good for you and fun for the kids to mix in.
Prep ahead the night before
I made everything the night before leaving the mixture in a bowl in the fridge. We baked the first batch for a small bonfire birthday party in our backyard. Prep was simple, I simply heated them up on the fire and then threw away the foil. The whole process was incredibly simple.
Even better, everyone loved it! So much so that I made two more quickly during the party. I was very excited that everyone was willing to try it and I was able to serve a healthy and fun meal by the fire.
Ari wasn’t willing to wait for hers to heat up so she happily ate it mildly warm and then I moved the rest to right on the fire which obviously burned them because I left them too long.
Despite my user error and burnt sweet potatoes, everyone still ate them and asked for seconds. I was able to quickly make two more potatoes because we were home but note this recipe is popular so be ready for your family to ask for more!
Backyard camping easy dinner
I made the second batch on a dreary Wednesday night after horseback riding lessons. The girls were excited to come out to the fire to cook dinner. We talked about how excited we are to camp even if it’s just right here in our backyard.
This winter has been a wild one for everyone but we made it through and now it’s time to prep and plan for all our epic spring and summer adventures. We have all earned a deep breath somewhere that fills our soul.
Good food right off the fire with the people we love can just about heal the roughest edges. Simple and easy recipes on repeat help the team stay out on the trail longer and stronger. Knowing I’ve got a few of these in my back pocket will make exploring this magical new country feel a little more attainable.
Our deepest hope is your family falls in love with camping this summer and recipes like this one come in clutch. We know meal planning around camping and kids can feel overwhelming. Start small and take little steps. It’s okay to throw out those burned sweet potatoes and call it a day.
We’ve so been there. Like anything, the more you do it the easier it gets. Honestly, I’ve always got like 3 nut butters and some starch on me just in case I’ve managed to destroy a meal or two while trying to keep everyone alive.
It’s all perspective, right?
Try these recipes at home. Tweak them as needed and get out there and show us how fun camping with kids can be! We know it too, it’s so good for them and with a little planning can be good for us too.
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas
This recipe may stretch your kids’ taste buds just a bit, but the sweetness of sweet potatoes almost always wins over kids. This recipe is great comfort food and filling for long camping days. I recommend precooking your potatoes before you go just to cut down on cook time.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pricked
- 2/3 cup coconut milk (in a can)
- 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 limes for juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil
Instructions
Prep Ahead Instructions
- Before leaving for your camping trip, wash the sweet potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high for 12 minutes or bake them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, until easy to pierce with a fork.
- Wrap the potatoes in foil large enough to fill with the curry filling at the campsite and refrigerate.
Campsite instructions
- Prepare a cooking fire.
- Open up the potatoes half way and cut them lengthwise, carefully pulling the potatoes apart. Fluff the inside where you opened the potato to allow a place for the filling.
- Mix the coconut milk, curry powder, turmeric, chickpeas and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Fill each potato with ¼ of the mixture. Carefully wrap the potato back up.
- Cook the potatoes on a grate over a fire for about 15 minutes or until warmed.
- Serve topped with chopped fresh basil and the juice of ½ a lime.
Notes
Kids can help: This is a great recipe to get kids involved with simply so they will be curios and try different tastes. Kids love eating what they make!
Related Posts:
- Family Camping 3 Day Meal Plan – FREE printable/plan
- Campfire Nachos
- Our book: The Easy Camp Cookbook
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Curry Chickpeas
© 2021, Tales of a Mountain Mama. All rights reserved. Republication, in part or entirety, requires a link back to this original post and permission from the author.