Veterans Day. The day that belongs to Dad and Ryan and everyone who wore the uniform.
Ryan was at the Pendleton ceremony. I watched from the sideline with Caleb in the carrier, watching the Marines stand in formation while a bugle played taps. Caleb was quiet. He's always quiet during ceremonies, as if he understands — at eleven months, with no words — that this moment requires silence.
I called Dad after.
'Happy Veterans Day, Dad.'
'Thank you, kiddo.'
'How are you?'
'I'm good. I'm in the garden.'
Of course he's in the garden. It's November and there's nothing growing and he's in the garden anyway. Because the garden is his taps. The garden is his ceremony. The garden is where he goes to remember and to heal and to be still.
Mom and Dad arrive Wednesday. Four days. The apartment is clean (Donna-clean, not Rachel-clean — I spent three days achieving Donna-level cleanliness and I'm exhausted). The guest bedroom has fresh sheets. The pantry is stocked. The pulled pork rub is ready.
Caleb's birthday is next Sunday. He'll be one. ONE YEAR OLD.
I made him sweet potato purée tonight — Grandma's recipe, the first food he ever ate. He's eating chunky food now, not purée, but I wanted to make it one more time. For the last time. Because the next purée I make will be for the next baby (not yet, not planning, but eventually), and this one — this first purée, for this first baby — is almost over.
He ate it with the same forty-seven expressions he had the first time. Some things don't change. The face, the tasting, the opening-for-more. He's bigger now — he fills the high chair, he has teeth, he says 'da-da' and 'ma-ma' and something that sounds like 'no.' But the expressions are the same. The baby is the same.
My baby. Almost one. Sweet potato purée and Veterans Day and a ceremony and a garden and a grandfather who grows things.
Four more days. Then the party. Then the cake. Then the year is done.
His first year. My first year as a mother. We made it.
We always make it.
Making Caleb’s sweet potato purée one last time — Grandma’s recipe, the very first food he ever tasted — reminded me that sweet potatoes have been holding this whole first year together in quiet, steady ways. When Mom and Dad arrive Wednesday and we sit down together before the birthday party, I want something on the table that carries that same warmth and simplicity, something earthy and honest that feels like it belongs to us. These Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Black Beans do exactly that: they’re humble enough for a Tuesday night but full enough to feel like a celebration, and they start with the same ingredient that started Caleb’s whole relationship with food.
Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Black Beans
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- Optional: sliced avocado and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Toss sweet potato cubes with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 25–30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the edges are caramelized and the centers are fork-tender.
- Season the black beans. About 10 minutes before the potatoes are done, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the black beans, vegetable broth, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the beans are heated through.
- Combine and finish. Transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a large serving bowl. Spoon the black beans over the top or gently fold everything together. Squeeze the lime juice evenly over the dish.
- Garnish and serve. Scatter the fresh cilantro over the top. Serve warm with avocado slices and extra lime wedges on the side if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 285 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 47g | Fiber: 11g | Sodium: 340mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 190 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
