Healthy Dinner: Roasted Mango and Sweet Potato Rice

We so often hear that the even best artists "steal," or, more pleasantly put, borrow techniques and draw inspiration from the masters. In fact, it is even encouraged to imitate the greats while one is still getting the craft under her belt. Considering this, I must be a dutiful culinary apprentice then because I am always finding inspiration from what other talented chefs are doing in the kitchen. Peaceful Dumpling's own editor-in-chief, the indomitable Juhea Kim, is always inspiring me to try new things with food. Even though I've never seen her cook in person (only in my imagination!), I just have a feeling that she takes the utmost care preparing her recipes--from selecting the flavors and textures to plating the end result in her special way. My own mother is like this (although she may disagree with me). I've never seen such evenly diced onions than in my mom's kitchen! Meanwhile, most evenings, in Mary-Land (not to be confused with the state of Maryland) I am the hottest of hot messes as I flail around the kitchen, throwing together something edible. Taking great care in the kitchen is something I always strive towards, and so I hold Juhea and my mother up as culinary etiquette role models for myself--because even one is cooking alone, shouldn't one show food (and the craft) a little respect? Finally, I'm taking another cue from Juhea and cooking with mango for the first time. Although my kitchen may not be a Zen haven every day, it's clever cooks like her who make me want to spend more time there. I hope you enjoy this Roasted Mango and Sweet Potato Rice dish--it's full of fiber, color, and love.