Benefits of sweete potatoes.
We all have those go-to ingredients in our pantry or refrigerator that always seems to deliver our tried and true recipes or dishes, but every now and then you want to mix it up a little!
To know me is to know that I have absolutely ZERO desire or need for sweets in my life, and that included sweet potatoes! (I even have an aversion to the smell of sweets, just ask the Mister!). Afterall, since shifting to a plant-based diet earlier this year, I have a new and profound respect for sweet potatoes. But always looking for ways to make them more palatable for my savory taste buds.
You can make this recipe in about 50 minutes, But I’ll also give you some time-saving tips so you can enjoy this sooner than later!
Combining two recipes, I was inspired by A Saucy Kitchen along with a tried and true quinoa salad which I made with ingrediets in my fridge, but you can purchase pre-made here
SWEET POTATOES WITH CHICKPEAS & AVOCADO TAHINI.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 sweet potatoes
Marinated Chickpeas
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup of vegetable broth in lieu of olive/vegetable oil as oils can be highly processed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 clove minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley (I happened to have cilantro on hand, and it worked great!)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1/2 tsp Camp Mix
Avocado Tahini Sauce
- 1 medium sized ripe avocado (or 1 cup pre-made, organic guacamole)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth (to thin the consistency and add flavor)
- 3 clove minced garlic
- 1 tablespoons fresh parsley
- Juice of 1 lemon
Toppings
- Sunflower seeds
- My favorite Original Salad Topper!
- Camp Mix to season
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Bake pierced sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.
- Mix chickpeas and the remaining ingredients needed for marinating, and set aside.
Avocado Tahini Sauce
- To make the sauce, add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender (I used an immersion blender and it worked out perfectly!) and process until smooth. You can manipulate the consistency of the sauce by either not adding as much broth if you like it thicker or more broth for a thinner consistency
Plating
- Easy-peasy! When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, simply cut them open, and spoon the chickpeas and quinoa salad inside. Top with the avocado tahini and sprinkle your topping of choice. If you don’t manage to gobble these up all in one sitting, they will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 2 days.
QUINOA SALAD
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
- ½ Cup Uncooked Lentils**
- ½ Medium Bell Pepper (Diced)
- ½ Cup Cherry Tomatoes (Diced)
- ½ Medium Cucumber (Diced)
- 1 Cup Kale (Finely Chopped)
- ½ Bunch of Cilantro (Finely Chopped)
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 3 Tbs. White Wine Vinegar (Or More to Taste)
- Salt + Pepper (To Taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook quinoa & lentils according to package instructions; chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- While quinoa and lentils are chilling, I like to chop my vegetables.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Serve chilled.
*Preparation is key, but if you have a hankering and need this on your plate sooner, you can microwave your sweet potato for 8-10 minutes while you marinate your chickpeas and get that quinoa salad out of the fridge!
I made this for Abby to enjoy after this shoot who was under the weather that day, and this perked her right up!
Will you let me know how you like it? Would love to hear from you!
With a wink and a smile-
xx, LS
All Images: Abby Liga