http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2013/dec/02/265417/

I don’t know about you guys, but after the decadence that was the past Thanksgiving week, simple and healthy were on the top of my wish list for this week’s eats.

Not that I gorged on food day and night from Thursday through the weekend or anything. Though, it was tempting. That said, I did have quite a few of those pumpkin bars I wrote about last week, and my mom and I shared a good amount of dark chocolate between us.

But: It was a holiday. Time with family. Regret nothing.

So, Sunday night, we wanted to do a bit of damage control. A healthy meal that was easy, too. So we pulled out the crock pot and made a slow cooker curry, and rather than go for rice, we roasted some sweet potatoes and served the curry over the sweet potatoes. Unusual? Yes. Healthy? Yes. Delicious? You bet.

Slow Cooker Curry over Sweet Potatoes

1 pound cooked shrimp, defrosted if frozen (optional)

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon roasted red chili paste

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon mild curry powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup canned diced tomatoes, with juice

1 can coconut milk

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

6 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 sweet potatoes

More coconut oil

In a skillet or wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and stir-fry until softened. Add garlic, chile paste, curry powder and thyme and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, with juice, bring to a boil, stirring and scraping the pan.

Transfer everything in the pan into your slow cooker. Add coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Thirty minutes before it’s done cooking, add the shrimp, if using.

Prepare your sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Peel your potatoes and slice them into quarter-inch rounds. Lay rounds on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and rub coconut oil onto the exposed side of each round. Roast for 25 minutes, flipping over your rounds halfway.

At the 2-hour mark for the curry, add bell pepper and green onions, and cook another 15 minutes. Serve over warm, roasted sweet potatoes. Serves: 4.