Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Black Beans

Well, I was not sure about this recipe…let me clarify..I knew I would like it but I was not sure if Murray would. I actually asked him if he wanted some meat with our vegetarian dinner… hahah but he said no, he would try this & here is his reaction!

The recipe is from epicurious… STUFFED SWEET POTATOES WITH BEANS AND GUACAMOLE.

I only changed one thing in the recipe…I did not have the cheese it called for so I put some grated cheddar on top of the potatoes & beans & melted it quickly in the microwave… & we ate it with some natural greek yogurt on the side… you can use whatever condiments you want. The recipe was medium spicy so I did not use any hot salsa but Murray did!

It was very filling… we each ate a whole potato but they were small…not those huge sweet potatoes/yams that are found in the grocery stores, If I was using those I would cut them into 1/4’s

TO MAKE THIS VEGAN…LEAVE OUT THE CHEESE….

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

2 medium size sweet potatoes

2 tbsp oil….divided into 1 tbsp/1 tbsp

1 tsp kosher salt….divided 1/2 tsp/1/2 tsp

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper….divided 1/4 tsp/1/4 tsp

1/2 tsp cumin…divided 1/4 tsp/1/4 tsp

1 red onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic….if using 2 divide…1 clove/1 clove

1 can black beans, rinse & drain

3/4 cup vegetable broth

2 cups baby spinach

1 ripe avocado

3 tbsp cilantro, stemmed & chopped…divided in half***  OPTIONAL IF YOU DO NOT LIKE CILANTRO

2 tbsp fresh lime juice…divided 1 tbsp/1 tbsp

OPTIONAL…..1/4 cup quest fresco….this is the cheese I did not have so I used some grated cheddar but I did not measure it… I just sprinkled some on top of the beans..so the amount is up to you

epicurious gives the option of serving this with tortilla chips

optional… sour cream or plain greek yogurt for serving

Method  

Preheat oven to 450f     Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment ….

1. Wash & dry the sweet potatoes
2. Cut the potatoes in half
3. In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp of oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp cumin together
4. Using a pastry brush (if you have one) brush some the above spice mixture all over the cut potatoes, dividing it evenly among the 4 halves…
5. Place the potato halves cute-side up on the prepared baking sheet
6. NOTE: WHILE THE POTATOES ARE BAKING…MAKE THE FILLING
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes… this time worked for me except for 1 half of potato that was thicker..i did not cut them exactly in half..so I left that half in the oven to bake some more but took the other ones out
8. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion & 1 clove of minced garlic. Cook, stir often, until the onion is translucent… about 2-3 minutes
9. Add the black beans, broth, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp cumin & cook until the liquid is reduced & the beans soften….this takes about 10 minutes….
10. Once this was cooked, I used a potato masher to mash some of the beans a bit…
11. Add the spinach & 1 tbsp lime juice to the bean mixture, stir to combine until the spinach wilts
12. Set aside when done
13. Mash the avocado & add the remaining clove of garlic ( I didn’t do that because I do not like garlic in my quac). If you are using cilantro add a couple of tablespoons now…. add 1 tbsp fresh lime juice & a pinch of kosher salt
14. Put the cooked potatoes onto a plate…
15. Use the back of a spoon to kind of indent the middle of the cooked flesh…
16. Spoon the bean mixture evenly between the potato halves
17. Top with the cheddar now if you are using it …& I microwaved this just to melt the cheese
18. Top with the guacamole…. sprinkle the rest of the chopped cilantro on top if using
19. Serve with sour cream/ plain greek yogurt/’tortilla chips….

Enjoy!