This was today’s lunch and wow what a treat. I almost always bring lunch to work, usually leftovers from whatever I had made the night prior or a simple salad, etc. Today I decided to try something a little different. It required a bit more planning and assembling, but it was definitely worth the extra work. I deseeded the pomegranate at home and premeasured out the coconut milk, shredded coconut and cilantro. I packed those up with a whole lime, a raw sweet potato, a nice plate and a fork and knife. When lunch rolled around, I pierced the potato and tossed it in the microwave, when it was cooked I just topped it with all the goodies and enjoyed it! It was pretty nice for a lunch at the studio and it felt good to eat off a real porcelain plate with real silverware, and on top of all of this, it was absolutely delicious. Far better than I could have imagined. I am not always a fan of fruit with savory dishes, but there are many exceptions to this and more often than not lately, I find I end up liking the fruit and can’t imagine the dish without it. This is how the pomegranate seeds were for me in this dish, I was a little unsure but very excited to try it out. They were perfect, so bright and so much flavor. The coconut taste was perfect and the lime and cilantro finished it all off very nicely. You could easily make 4 of these for a delicious side-dish for dinner.

For cleanse day 3, I have to say I am eating really well and I don’t feel deprived of a thing. I am already feeling less weighed down and sluggish, too. I am so glad I decided to do this cleanse. I have been trying to really experiment with new things on this cleanse and today (admittedly) was the first time I ever deseeded a pomegranate. Not sure why I never have before, I guess because I thought I didn’t know how. It was simple and now I will be buying them all the time since they are in season.

Sweet Potato with Pomegranate, Coconut and Lime

Serves 1

1 sweet potato
2 tablespoons organic coconut milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened organic coconut, shredded
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Fresh lime juice from half a lime

Baking the sweet potato in the oven: Preheat oven to 400º. Pierce the sweet potato all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake until tender, approximately 35-45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Baking the sweet potato in the microwave: Prick the potato in 5 or 6 places with a fork. Place on microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 6 minutes, turn over and microwave another 6 minutes. Let cool slightly. (time will vary based on your microwave oven and the size of the potato)

Slice the potato in half and slightly mash with a fork. Top with coconut milk, shredded coconut, chopped cilantro, and pomegranate seeds. Squeeze lime juice over top. You can add a light sprinkle of kosher salt if you wish (I left this off since I am on a cleanse).