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Let’s be real for a second.

I’m the kind of girl who really likes being able to button her jeans without having to lie in bed and contort herself into all sorts of awkward positions.

On some days, it’s kind of amazing. {In the literal sense.}

And on most days…it kind of makes me giddy in a way that I am not necessarily proud of. But there it is.

(In an ideal world, I would be someone for whom it does not make or break their day…but it does, and I am.  And that’s that.)

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This holiday season I kind of fell off the “everything-in-moderation” wagon.

I may have eaten cake and/or cookies for lunch and dinner. A few nights. In a row.

I may have foregone going to the gym in lieu of baking aforementioned cake and/or cookies.  That I then ate. For lunch. And dinner.

Not necessarily the best combo either for your blood sugar or your skinny jeans, I’ll tell you that much.

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So even though it is “totally cliche” and “totally not what the cool kids are doing”…I am going to resolve.

Eat.Live.Be-style.

You guys may or may not remember this from last year, but the Eat.Live.Be. series is a weekly post where Sarah, Cate, Patsy and I talk about staying healthy and happy in an otherwise cholesterol-infused world, whether that be talk of exercise, motivation, how we (I) managed to go a whole week without stress-eating a jar of cookie butter…etc.  This is something that everyone struggles with and I find it helps to have a whole team behind you, supporting you and offering encouragement at every turn.  If any of you want to join in, then feel free! We will be posting on Wednesdays, talking about what our healthy living goals are and what we are doing to achieve them (and this can take pretty much any form you want), and offering up a motivational quote. Easy peasy.  Just leave a comment telling me that you participated if you did so that I can go check out your post!!

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Alright so…resolutions, goals, whatever you want to call them that will actually get you to stick to them.  Here goes.

(1) Be more mindful, especially about what you put in your mouth.  Ask yourself, do you really want that chocolate bar, or are you just bored?  To this end, I am going to keep a journal of what I eat, not really to count calories but to hold myself accountable.  I’ve been using an app on my phone called My Diet Diary to do this and I definitely find that on days when I remember to track, I do better at not eating things that I don’t really want.

(2) Get yo’ ass to the gym.  Even if you only have thirty minutes instead of your usual hour.  Get out of that all or nothing mentality that you sometimes find yourself in. It’s always better to go for a little bit than to not go at all!

(3)  Challenge yourself more in the kitchen.  I feel like I got into kind of a rut last year making foods that were comfortable and this year I really want to make more things that scare me.  Macarons, croissants, homemade pasta, more bread baking, more original recipes. The whole nine yards.  I love the feeling of anticipatory excitement that comes from setting about making a recipe that you find challenging and I need to remember that more often.

(4) Be present. My mind is always all over the place, thinking about all the things I have to do, multi-tasking, etc.  And I think a lot of the time, the result is that I end up half-assing everything I’m doing instead of really committing. So no matter what I’m doing, whether it’s cuddling with The.Boy., working on a presentation at lab, planning an experiment, or cooking…I want to be in that moment focusing on that one thing.

(5) Get more sleep. Most nights, I average about 6 hours.  Non-ideal.  I’m going to aim for 7.  Maybe someday I’ll get up to 8…we’ll see.

So, what are your resolutions or goals for 2013?

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Now. Let’s talk samosas.

These are not traditionally the healthiest little appetizers on the block.  They may be tasty but…fried dough stuffed with Indian-spiced potatoes? Not exactly light on calories.

Here, I’ve updated them with a delicious sweet potato filling that is rich in nutrients and big on flavor.  And they’re {barely} pan-fried instead of deep-fried.  They are the perfect healthy app to bring to whatever winter/holiday/superbowl parties you’ll be going to in the next few months so that you’ll have a good, clean-eating option amidst all the chips/processed cheese/weirdo creamy dips that will surely be on offer.

Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato Samosas with a Persimmon-Tomato Marmalade
Makes 12 samosas, adapted from Cooking Light December 2008

Ingredients
For the marmalade:

  • 2 cups coarsely chopped, skinned persimmons
  • 2 tbsp chopped shallots
  • 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp butter
  • 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp harissa
  • 1 thyme sprig
  • 1 (2-inch) piece vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the filling: 

  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 1 lb (purple) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot
  • 2 1/2 tsp red curry paste
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup light coconut milk
  • 2 tsp fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the dough:

  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 6.75 oz all purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer lemons)
  • 7 tsp peanut oil, divided

Instructions

  1. To prepare the marmalade, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the persimmons, shallot, butter, tomatoes and garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the sugar, harissa, thyme and vanilla bean. Simmer 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Discard thyme and vanilla bean. Stir in salt.
  2. To prepare the filling, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add the onion and potatoes to the pan. Saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the carrot, curry paste, and garlic to the pan. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup water and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.  Cook 15 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates and potatoes are tender. Stir in lime juice and salt. Transfer to a bowl and partially mash potatoes with a fork.
  3. To prepare the dough, toast the turmeric, ginger and cinnamon in a skillet over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate to cool.
  4. Place the flour, toasted spices, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Combine 1/4 cup hot water, lemon juice and 1 tbsp peanut oil in a bowl. Add the hot water mixture through the food chute of the food processor with processor on. Process until the dough forms a ball. Place the dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
  5. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll on a lightly floured surface to a 4-inch circle (note – I rolled them on an unfloured wooden cutting board and as long as I flipped the dough over after each time I rolled it, it was fine). Place 2 tbsp filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with 11 remaining dough balls to form 12 samosas.
  6. Heat 2 tsp peanut oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 samosas to the pan. Cook 3 minutes or until golden-brown. Turn and cook 3 minutes or until golden-brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining samosas.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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81 Responses to {Healthy} Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato Samosas with a Persimmon-Tomato Marmalade {eat.live.be}

  1. I am SO ready to get back on the being healthy bandwagon. These definitely make that a heck of a lot more bearable!

  2. These look like a great way to start off 2013! I know what you mean though about stuffing yourself. It was a lot of eating. Might need to make some salads this month.

  3. t’s a bad week for me (though a wonderful start to a new year , I cant deny). My body is feeling a need to deny wine + sweets (there’s been too much already!) but the calendar says PARTY. I guess these Curry-Spiced Sweet Potato Samosas with a Persimmon-Tomato Marmalade is just the answer. It screams party without sabotaging resolutions.

  4. Claudia says:

    Wow – there’s a lot of flavor there. Onward to 2013 and new tastes – and the occasional cake for breakfast. Happy New Year, Joanne! You always enchant.

  5. oh man, loving the color of the filling 🙂 and that persimmon chutney- fantastic! what a great appetizer… that would be great alongside a salad!

  6. SallyBR says:

    (apologize in advance for a long comment, but the subject is something I’m very passionate about 😉 )

    I don’t have resolutions because I will just keep doing what I’ve been doing for 12 years and it simply works for me: every week I exercise more days than I do not, and I keep a record to keep myself in check. Some weeks I reach 6 days, most I stay at 4. My weight has been constant for 30 years, even with the dreadful menopause and all, so I feel I’m on the right track.

    I take my fitness very seriously and use moderation 365 days of the year, including vacations and holidays. I don’t deprive myself of any type of food, but pay attention to portion size. I also weigh myself daily, which goes against some of the advice given by “experts”. It allows me to know what is going on, how my weight changes and most important: it allows me to deal right away with a 2 pound gain instead of a 5 pound gain down the line 😉 Knowledge is power.

    But, each person is different – the goal is to find something that works for your own body and stick with it.

    Loved this recipe, the color of the filling is SOMETHING!

    Happy New Year!

  7. marie says:

    For me what works best is letting myself eat it all. I am the type that when I cut food out it just doesn’t seem to work out well (at all). So I try to fill up on healthy food (which is easy because I love it) and then indulge in just a little treat each day. There was a whole lotta treats during the holidays, back on track.

    Delicious recipe and photos as usual, Happy New Year!!!

  8. kelsey says:

    beautiful! I want these and I Don’t even like curry.

    Challenging myself in the kitchen is also one of my goals- I tend to just stick with what I know and then get mad that I eat the same thing every week. Not this year!

  9. Amy says:

    Oh gaaaawd, I feel like I’ve been eating massive amounts of sugar since before Halloween. I’m in such need of a detox, I ate chickpeas and a protein shake yesterday. No lie. And I ran 4 1/2 miles. I don’t make resolutions, but I’m really going to work on portion control this year….my eyes are often so much bigger than my stomach

  10. Man, I think I could eat however many of these this recipe makes! Boy, do they look delicious! 🙂

  11. Great 2013 goals! I refuse to step on the scale until February. This holiday was haaaaard on me. Moderation did not even exist. Cheers to 2013 being better!

  12. I love it! This is great and I would love to be a part of the Eat.Live.Be movement! Sleep is the kicker. I have been more into 8 hours for the past couple months. For 3 days in a row I got less than 4 and WHOA. I got a terrible cold, was cranky as I could ever be, and unmotivated. See ya later, less-than-8-hours, I won’t be hanging out with you anymore. The barely pan fried samosas are so beautifully browned!

  13. Danielle says:

    For me its all about portion control – I really need to work on that this year.

  14. That Girl says:

    I am so with you on getting more sleep! Now someone talk to my child about helping out with that.

  15. I’m looking forward to your health-minded posts. I always wonder how you do it with all your tasty tasty concoctions. I suppose the marathon training probably helps.

  16. sandra says:

    My biggest goal is to be less critical and kinder to my family.

    A new way to serve persimmons! I want to try this right away… thanks.

  17. These look awesome and are so pretty! I need to remind myself to “be present” more… I feel like life is moving so quickly and I need to live in the moment and appreciate what I have more!

    Sues

  18. Talk about looking great…I’m sure they are delicious. Happy New Year and all the best to wearing skinny jeans!

  19. Elizabeth says:

    Am I reading this correctly?? Are you saying that eating cake and cookies for lunch and dinner is frowned upon? What a relief that you didn’t nix them for breakfast. They taste best then!

    I feel compelled to add that sweet potato samosas sound very good too. Almost as good as cookies and cake.

    (I just looked over your recipe again and noticed “cooking spray”. Some years ago, we got a very nifty pump spray bottle at the kitchen supply store. We fill it no more than half full with olive oil – the pump won’t work if the bottle is too full – and use that instead of cooking spray. We like that we KNOW what kind of oil is in the container. It’s nice to know how old the oil is too….)

  20. Elizabeth says:

    Oops!! I pressed “publish” too soon.

    Happy New Year!

  21. I love that persimmons are accessible right now and that you posted a recipe for them… love! (not to mention, I adore Samosas)!

  22. Persimmon is such an amazing fruit and they were on a sale about a month ago and I swear I bought have the grocery store’s supply. I love them! This is right up my alley!

  23. Joanne, you do not give yourself enough credit. Just looking at your round-up shows how creative you have been in the kitchen!! I constantly turn to your blog for inspiration!

    I never do resolutions but this year my focus will be on studying with balance.. focusing on the studying, keeping things in balance so things don’t go crazy. To do that, I realize I need to focus on proper sleep, food and exercise. My bike is parked for the winter so I am hoping to harness my long commuting rides into positive avenues, too. 🙂

  24. PS. Love your eat.live.be posts will be back. 🙂

  25. Nina says:

    I dont generally keep up resolutions…so dont make any:) I like the stuffing…very simple and am sure must have tasted yumm:)

  26. grace says:

    look at that gorgeous filling! i love samosas and i’m pretty pumped about that marmalade too. great way to kick of 2013, joanne!

  27. You don’t do cookies with your coffee in the mornings???

    And as to buttoning your jeans; you know you can buy the stretchy pajama pants that look like blue jeans now and not worry.

    And BTW, on a serious note… you did an amazing job of photographing a difficult to look good dish. Nice job and great post… Enjoy your year

    Dave, who used to be year on the grill

  28. Jenn Kendall says:

    i’m blown away by these! they sound soooooo interesting and delicious – that filling and sauce are just full of amazing flavors! i need to make these asap!

  29. Debbie says:

    A gorgeous plateful of food! I am a sweets person but I would trade my sweets for a plate of this….I also need more sleep too. My body clock keeps reminding me of that!!!!

  30. Dining Alone says:

    Thanks for a great post to really make me think about resolutions…because I have been avoiding it! I definitely need to exercise more, and be nicer to my husband 🙂

  31. More sleep, healthy exercise, creativity in the kitchen – they all sound like such good, wholesome, soul-enriching things to do. 🙂

  32. As someone who ate too many cookies for lunch and dinner over the holidays as well, I assure you that you are in good company. And the fact that you even attempted to put on your skinny jeans already is AMAZING! I’m living in stretchy pants for a few more days! Your creativity in the kitchen amazes me, I can’t wait to see what all you have up your sleeves this year! And if I was your neighbor, I would hit the pavement with you for some chilly January runs to kick start the year!

  33. Karly says:

    That dough is absolutely perfect! I could totally eat vegetables if they were wrapped up in that. 😉

  34. Hotly Spiced says:

    Aren’t jeans always the measure of how we’re going with our weight – just so much more reliable than scales. I love the look of your samosas. I did try to make them a few years ago but had terrible trouble with the dough. I’ll give your recipe a try xx

  35. Some awesome resolutions there! I do love the “Be present” its so important!
    I do love a good samosa but they’re so bad for me that I rarely get them. Must try these ones!

  36. Lynn says:

    They look wonderful. Yes – I need to eat better – you inspire me.

  37. I am with you Joanne – I feel a bit off the wagon myself and picked myself back up today. Great post and reminders! Happy New Year 🙂

  38. These are so pretty! I have similar goals for January. There were many times over the holidays when I convinced myself that staying home and cooking would count as a “workout”…must get back to the gym now!

  39. Katie K says:

    I definitely ate cookies and snack mix for 2 out of 3 meals the other day. 🙂 My “resolution” is to be more gentle- to myself, to others, and to the earth. I struggle the most with being gentle to myself…we’ll see where it goes!

  40. Donna says:

    NO WHITE FOOD is my 2013 resolution. No white sugar. No white flour. No potatoes. No white rice.

    Thanks for another year of inspiring food. And I still laugh out loud when I read your posts!

  41. bellini says:

    I need to be more mindful of what goes in and comes out of my mouth in 2013. Glad to see you are carrying on with spreading the word about healthy eating Joanne.

  42. Eileen says:

    Samosas! YAY! That sweet potato filling sounds amazing. And I never know what to do with persimmons–inconvenient, since they grow all over the place in our neighborhood–so I’m especially excited to try out the sauce!

  43. I love this list! I take much pleasure in my jeans buttoning nicely. I’ll take it any day over an extra cookie!

  44. Those are fantastic resolutions…I am also going for the being present goal. And while the samosas sound amazing – I need that marmalade in my life!

  45. Patsy K says:

    Your goals are awesome! I especially love the challenges you are planning in the kitchen… we should coordinate some bread baking/pasta making posts! I’m working on my post for E.L.B. – but am procrastinating by reading blogs at the moment… I feel like my mind is all over the place tonight, so I need to also work on being “present” and focus on one thing at a time for a change!

  46. Natalie says:

    Great list, your goals are terrific! Gym is a big one for me 🙂 I also am in awe over these samosa’s, such amazing ingredients…they look delish!

  47. #3 is one of my goals too. I definitely want to do a lot more pasta making and bread baking this year.

  48. The holidays are for splurging so don’t beat yourself up. If anyone can throw herself back into a healthy eating regimen, it’s you 🙂 These looks awesome! Great advise all around.

  49. Jessie says:

    I love this eat.live.be series! While there’s no need to feel bad about indulging a few days in a row, it’s nice to remind ourselves of our healthy living goals every so often – and it’s the perfect time of year! Every one of your goals is great – I need to do more of “Challenge yourself more in the kitchen”, although I don’t think YOU do (although I’m excited to see what you come up with!).

    Happy Wednesday, Joanne!

  50. Natalie says:

    oh goodness i absolutely love persimmons. i’ve never done anything with them bc i eat them immediately, but this sounds like a rather delightful use!

  51. Suzie says:

    Dang girl, you are always rockin the house with these fantastic recipes!! These looks absolutely delightful!!

  52. Love your resolutions for 2013! I have always wanted to make samosas and with purple sweet potato thats perfect! I can serve them and tell my Husband they are regular purple potatoes, he would never know! I am soooooooo making these!

  53. Hannah says:

    Solid resolutions, all of them, and seriously inspiring to boot. I’m always a bit lax in deciding on mine, usually waiting until February at least to fully commit, but I think that this year I’m going to try reading the news less. It’s just depressing, stressful, and anxiety provoking. I won’t cut it off completely, but it’s just not beneficial to dwell on all that crap. There’s so much more goodness to focus on, you know? Like this samosas. Perfectly delicious, beautifully formed, and could possibly cure minor illnesses. Maybe.

  54. Samosas are one of the greatest foods around, and yours look incredible! I am so intimidated to make samosas.

  55. Jeane M. says:

    Spiced packed dish this is. Can imagine the yummy aroma by reading those ingredients. 🙂 Got my eye on your next posts.

  56. tigerfish says:

    I shall get myself to exercise again starting tomorrow. I stopped for a month or so as I was sick! Frankly, my resolutions are almost like yours! But that on challenging myself in the kitchen, I don’t think so as I still don’t see myself baking in the near future :O Your combo of spicy sweet samosas with the marmalade is very creative.

  57. Kari says:

    I like that you’re honest about this Joanne, because it is so much better when people just say what they’re doing instead of pretending they don’t care but clearly actually caring a lot! And let’s face it, we could all be a little more mindful about what we eat, and I think that’s a great way to start off a new year 🙂

  58. I’m making resolutions too, so I’m in the uncool club. And mine are along the same vein as yours. Gotta get healthy. And I want reports on your sleep habits! I would be a walking zombie on that much sleep. You’ll feel so much better once you force yourself to get more.

  59. They look so good but I always shy away from samosas because they look like a lotta work. Some day I’ll get around to it!!

  60. Johanna GGG says:

    I know the feeling – I was doing better til edinburgh and christmas did me in – but need to get back into more healthy living – your eat live be posts were always inspirational last year so will look forward to more

    I think a diet diary is really helpful – but I laughed at challenge yourself in the kitchen – you do some many amazing things – just like these samosas – must bookmark now

  61. I LOVE samosas. I just had a mini-lesson from an Indian friend of mine of how to make and fold the dough so I’m hoping to make some very soon! I love the use of persimmons here, too! These are all great goals for 2013.

  62. Barbara says:

    I adore sweet potatoes! What a super way to serve them…samosas….which I love to start with. Must try this one.
    Happy New Year, Joanne!

  63. I’m definitely bookmarking this! I LOVE the filling idea:) Have a great day Joanne!

  64. Gloria says:

    look delicious love sweet potatoes!

  65. Purple sweet potatoes are the best! I just love the flavor they have and how versatile they are. I bet they are wonderful in these 🙂

  66. JoJo says:

    A lot of your resolutions are my goals too, I love that!
    I think you challenge yourself in the kitchen plenty though, your recipes are always different and vibrant!

  67. Ashley Bee says:

    There is a box of Lofthouse cookies in my desk that are calling to me. I am trying not to eat them. I should make a resolution–no baked goods that I don’t make myself! I wonder how long that’d last…

  68. Blond Duck says:

    My goal is to try new foods and new work outs! 🙂

  69. Reeni Pisano says:

    That filling is gorgeous! And I’m a big fan of pan-frying! It’s less messy but still gives you that nice crispy crust. It’s amazing how fast I can NOT get my pants buttoned – all it takes is a few days of cookie eating and I’m in stretchy pants. Hate when that happens.

  70. Jessica says:

    OH MAN. These sound SO good. I am positive they will mail just fine! 😉

  71. Deborah says:

    I totally need to follow your lead this year and eat better, especially trying to lose the baby weight. These look so good – and so pretty!!

  72. Love the resolutions! Definitely getting my ass to the gym is number 1 on my list. I try to go 6 times a week but sometimes that can be such a challenge – there’s just not enough time in the day! And yes, challenging myself in the kitchen. For me, that’s conquering my fear of yeast!

    Oh yeah, and these samosas – totally #1 on my list to make for 2013!

  73. daphne says:

    I love the mindfulness eating. Food does taste better!!! And the samosas- They look so morish I can have more than one!

  74. I FINALLY started back to the gym mid december after my knee healed up
    This time I am NOT rushing since that is how I got the 2nd knee injury–I did too much too early
    So, I have been very good about walking at the gym. It’s like my thing now. I walk 30-40 on treadmill no matter.
    Get your ass to the gym; it takes 21 days for a habit to stay.

  75. Cathleen says:

    Now these should be included in my resolutions.
    Also, I have attempted samosas once, and they were deep fried (don’t get me wrong, they were marvelous) I need to try this healthier version, yum!

  76. That dough looks perfect and I love the purple filling! I would never remember to fill out the mindful eating app but I really should do something like that too, I’m always mindlessly eating when I’m not hungry!

  77. Mila says:

    Are you furreal lady? This last year was a cooking rut? The macarons already happened, with feet!
    Not that I would complain about any of your wonder-ventures to be 😉 Happy twenty thirteen.

  78. Laura says:

    The samosas are gorgeous. I like to think of holiday excess as, well, part of the holidays. Not anything you should do year round of course, but nothing to be sad about either. Having said that, I’m down with all of your goals as well. I just gotta beat the darn upper respiratory thing I have going on first….

  79. Just found these through another blog (I follow your blog but their blog is before yours in my rss feed reader 😉 )and am going to be making them ASAP…tonight…maybe for breakfast! They look amazing!

  80. Lora says:

    There are so many wonderful ingredients, flavors and spices in these, my head is spinning. Wow.

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