Cooking with kids: Vegan Sweet Potato Fries

This weekend we tried another cooking with kids activity and made rosemary sweet potato fries. They were tasty and it was another opportunity to get my girls in the kitchen to help me out. I enjoy cooking with my kids because it helps them feel needed, it often teaches them new mathematics, and it encourages them to eat their food when they help prepare it.

Ingredients

• 3 Medium-sized sweet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
• 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary (1 Tablespoons of fresh rosemary)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of pepper

Cooking with Kids Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Using a very sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes into halves, then repeat cutting them lengthwise, and turn and cut them again until they are about 1 ½” strips.
3. Using the remaining coconut oil lightly, coat the bottom of your baking sheet, if needed. Allow your kids to help you arrange the sweet potatoes into a large container. As they place them you can have them count each strip as an added educational lesson.
4. In a small saucepan, melt half of the coconut oil over medium heat, and then add the rosemary (if you are using a non-stick baking sheet you can add all of the coconut oil.
5. Supervise your child/children and allow them to season the sweet potatoes with cinnamon, salt and pepper, and then you can drizzle the rosemary mixture over the sweet potatoes because this mixture will be hot. Toss and coat the sweet potatoes.
6. Lastly, place the sweet potatoes strips onto a large baking sheet in a single layer; this is if you want them to be crispy like fries. You can also bake them in a casserole dish, but they will be softer. Bake for about 15 minutes, turn them once and bake for 10 more minutes. Finally, you’ll know they are ready when the sweet potatoes appear softer with a brown hue. Gently remove from them from the baking sheet. Let the sweet potatoes cool a bit and then serve.