Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Tonight I was going to bake some pork chops. I had three big, thick ones that I seasoned with my special sweet and spicy pork rub. I wanted to roast some sweet potatoes to go with the pork chops and had something in mind like this recipe I found on Audrey's Apron:
http://audreysapron.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/roasted-spiced-sweet-potatoes/

I had similar ingredients on hand, like three sweet potatoes that needed to be cooked before they went bad. They had started to grow a few sprouts, so I cut those off and peeled them and diced them into nice bite-sized cubes. Then I drizzled on a little bit of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons worth. Instead of searching for all the spices in my cabinet, I just grabbed the Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub that I had just used on my pork chops and sprinkled that onto the sweet potatoes. Then I added a dash of cinnamon and a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar. That should do it. Into the oven they go for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Turn at least twice.

Since I also had a nice bunch of asparagus from our SLO Veg tote , I laid it alongside of the sweet potatoes and drizzled on a little olive oil, then seasoned it with coarse salt and some panko bread crumbs. I put the entire pan shared by both vegetables into the oven and let it go for 30 minutes, turning the vegetables twice. A little bit of parmesan cheese sprinkled onto the asparagus completed the seasonings. 

Here is my pork rub recipe:

Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub

2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs coarse sea salt
1 tsp each: cumin, paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and chili powder
1/2 tsp each: black pepper, white pepper

*this makes enough seasoning to fill a little spice jar

Mix ingredients and sprinkle on pork roast or chops. Sear the outside on a grill, then place in a baking dish. Bake in a 375 degree oven. Pork roasts take about 20 minutes per pound. Pork chops will usually cook in 30-45 minutes, depending on their thickness. 

A bit of carmelized onions and apples complete this dinner plate of pork chops,   sweet potatoes, and asparagus.