While rummaging through old boxes for baby photos of my daughter’s school project, I found pictures from my early twenties volunteering abroad in South and Central America. Working in remote areas serving the poorest of the poor in Bolivia, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, I realized very quickly that part of my life mission would be dedicated to fighting extreme global poverty. While living one summer in Bolivia I mainly volunteered in an elementary school doing whatever it was that needed to be done including administering routine lice checks. One of my most favorite things to do was to make home visits to the families of some of the students. Most of the families lived in corrugated metal shacks with dirt floors and no running water, bathroom, or kitchen amenities. Yet, these were some of the most content joyous people I have ever met. My hair was cut in a pixie style and that one summer living abroad would impact my global perspective on the importance of living a life beyond me. When I returned to the US, I made a decision to move abroad permanently with the intent of working in a third world country. As I was figuring out the logistics of making this happen, I decided to volunteer in a teen homeless shelter in Seattle. This is where I met my husband. Sharing the same passion and vision, together we would go to Guatemala and Nicaragua multiple times with teams of people to assist indigenous people impacted by civil war through sustainable agriculture and community building. The non-profit agency we partnered with specialized in purchasing land in remote mountainous areas throughout Latin America and would help these families become self sustaining through agriculture and craft driven businesses. Since then, my desire has always been to get involved with non-profit organizations focused on compassion, justice, and advocacy in global regions of extreme poverty.
During this last year I’ve been discussing with my husband my desire to go abroad in short-term spurts again. Not knowing how and when it would happen, I was thrilled when I was invited to go to Ethiopia with ONE.org, a non-profit (and non-partisan) organization, backed by 3 million people and dedicated to fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease through advocacy. I will be going with a group of 10 influential women from across the globe as part of the ONE Moms team. The purpose of our trip is to meet with women, families, and farmers to listen to (and share their) stories as they share glimpses of their lives with us. We will also be visiting health clinics to better understand the health care needs and struggles among the people in the area.
ONE.org is not about raising funds through awareness. Instead, ONE (and ONE Moms) is an advocacy group seeking your VOICE to work towards policy changes at government levels.
My travel immunizations are up-to-date and I have malaria medicine sitting on my nightstand ready to be packed. I cut my hair slightly longer than pixie which was inspired by the photos I found from Bolivia. I leave next week knowing I will not return to the States the same. I’m looking forward to emerging myself in Ethiopian culture and experiencing an adventure of a lifetime.
I’m inviting you to partner with ONE through the ONE Moms Mission by signing up and lending your voice.
Lastly, I would like to bring to your attention ONE’s campaign, Thrive. Thrive focuses on nutrition, addressing the root causes of extreme poverty and malnutrition.
“ONE is calling on world leaders to make measurable commitments to reduce chronic malnutrition by 2016 and help 25 million children reach their full potential.” – ONE.org
In Ethiopia, the sweet potato is an important vegetable in fighting malnutrition. Packed with nutrients, sweet potatoes are drought resistant making them a popular food for much of the population.
Today I am sharing a fantastic recipe for Sweet Potato Kale Hash. This hash can be made for breakfast with a fried egg on top or as a side dish for dinner. I’ve made it several times the last couple weeks and I’ve yet to get tired of eating it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into ½-inch cubes
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- ½ red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1½ teaspoons pasilla chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 cups chopped kale
- ⅓ cup water
- Salt and pepper
- Mix the sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, pasilla chili powder, salt, and cumin together.
- Pour the spiced oil over the potato mixture and stir the vegetables until they are evenly coated.
- In a large sauté pan, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil on med-high heat.
- Add the uncooked spiced vegetables to the pan.
- Stirring every other minute, cook the hash for 6-8 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the kale and water and mix the greens until they become wilted, approximately one minute.
- Season with additional salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately.
I google-searched kale and sweet potatoes today, as I had some I wanted to use, and found your recipe. The other ingredients are things I keep on hand, so it was perfect. This is amazingly delicious! I made a 2/3 adjustment to the ratio based on the amount of sweet potato I had, and ate the entire batch for a guilt-free lunch. The spices are perfect for making a warm, savory side. I can’t wait to make it again and try it with the egg on top! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Steve for stopping by and sharing your review.Happy New Year!
I have made this easy but delish of a dish for the last few years and each time it gets better and better. Thanks for this recipe!!
Made it. Loved it. Sweet potatoes are often cloyingly sweet, but not this!
I found this via pinterest and tried it *just now*. SO GOOD. I don’t have that variety of chili powder so I mixed both chipotle and regular chili powder and added some fresh ground pepper. I’m planning to make it for friends again this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
This is one of the easiest, most delicious recipes I have ever made. Anyone who doesn’t think unbelievably healthy can also be unbelievably delicious is wrong. I paired this with an Indian dal that I made, for dinner last night. As a mostly vegan vegetarian this was a scrumptious dinner. Thanks for this great recipe.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I made this last night and enjoyed it very much! 🙂
Looks delish! can I ask what kind of meat you have on top of the potatoes?
Greetings Savory Sweet life
I would like to become a One Mom but it appears to be open only to Americans, not Canadians?
Best Regards, Valerie
This wonderful recipe will be making an appearance in my kitchen for dinner tonight!
Christina
http://www.foodiewithalife.com
My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can’t believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do, Blue31DOTc om
It’s so awesome to see your passions all coming together – I’m inspired and excited to hear all about it! Go Alice! Also – tried this recipe and it was the perfect kick off to autumn. Thanks!
I’m so happy you have this opportunity, Alice! I wish you safe travels and look forward to reading stories of your experiences. Love this hash, too, and will be making it soon.
I must admit it ranks up there among one of the most unique blog ideas I have ever seen.
It is amazing to me that we who have so much only want more and more. I must try this hash…looks so colorful and healthy 🙂
What an amazing opportunity for you! I’ll keep your trip in prayer… you most definitely will not return the same, but it’ll be a change for the better. Have a great, eye-opening trip!
And thanks for sharing the yummy recipe!
Have a great trip…best of luck!!
What a noble cause!!! Wonderful!! People like you are such a blessing on this planet. We need more people like you. I wish you all the best with the trip.
I love the hash. It’s very similar to the ‘chochodi’ we cook in Bengal, India.Isn’t it amazing how similar we can be even after being so far apart geographically?
Isn’t it funny how the universe brings you exactly what you asked for? Have a safe journey. I can’t wait to hear your stories and see your gorgeous photos.
Can not wait to meet you, Alice…and to experience this voyage together. I’m going to make this sweet potato hash…sounds delicious.
It will be super to meet you and fabulous to learn about your past trips to South and Central America.
Mich x
I can not wait to hear about this trip. I love that your desire was there and then this trip was given to you. What an incredible sign that this is exactly where you are to be. Praying for you as you go and experience this.
Alice: I am so pleased to hear about your trip and I look forward to hearing about your experiences. You are an inspiration! ps…this hash looks fab!