Alumni Highlights

Celina Bowman grew up in Dale City, Virginia. She earned her BS in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in General Dietetics in 2021. Prior to attending Alabama A&M University, she attended Culinary School in NYC. Celina was accepted in the Catherine Austin Dietetic Internship in Memphis, TN at the VA Medical Center through the Department of Veterans Affairs where she successfully completed her internship in June of 2022. Celina passed the Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR) Exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in August of 2022. She’s currently an Outpatient Clinical Registered Dietitian at the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center and recently completed her Master’s in Human Nutrition at the University of Alabama. In her free time, Celina enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and cooking. One of her favorite recipes is this coconut curry sweet potato soup.

Recipe: Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, diced
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions:

1. Begin by heating the coconut oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, salt, garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Sauté until the onions turn translucent.
2. Next, introduce the diced sweet potatoes and vegetable stock into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer with the lid on until the sweet potatoes become tender.
3. Transfer the soup into a blender and puree it until it achieves a creamy consistency.
4. Return the blended soup to the pot and add the coconut milk. Adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt and lime juice.
5. To serve, garnish each bowl of soup with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, or a topping of your choice. Enjoy!