I have been overwhelmed with joy this past week – in awe of the wonderful friends I have and the support I have received from sharing this blog. I have received so many kind words from so many of you that I am left with no words to describe how grateful I am. A million thank yous for all of it – it means the world to me.
Since Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in France, I missed the opportunity to throw on a pair of stretchy pants and eat my heart out on a home cooked feast and pumpkin pie – something that I would have really love to do this past weekend. Instead, the weekend was spent hiking through the mountains and taking in the fall colors, the meal was a cheese fondue and shared with some new friends, and I spent a lot of time thinking about the wonderful friends and family I have back home. Lucky, grateful and so much to be thankful for.
We did get to eat something stuffed though – these yummy stuffed sweet potatoes. They may not be turkey dinner, but they are hearty, healthy and jam packed with all things delicious. One of my new favorite meals and hopefully – soon to be one of yours too!
STUFFED SWEET POTATOES WITH CURRIED QUINOA + AVOCADO CILANTRO SAUCE
Serves two with possible leftovers. Vegan + Gluten Free.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 small green chili, deseeded and minced (for optional heat)
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 398ml can coconut milk (1/4 cup reserved)
1 + 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chickpeas
3 small sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt
1 ripe avocado
1 lime
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
1 green onion, slice
What to do
Preheat the oven to 400°F (190°C)
Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes, then slice in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and return to bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the insides are soft and the flesh is pulling away from the skin. May take longer if you have larger sweet potatoes.
While the potatoes are baking, prep the filling.
Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pot then add the garlic, chili. Sautee for one minute then add the quinoa. Toast the quinoa for a minute or two, add the curry powder and stir to coat. Add 1 + 1/4 cups of coconut milk, 1/4 cup of water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer covered for 15 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and remove from heat. Set aside.
Once the potatoes are done remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle
Gently scoop out the soft flesh of the sweet potatoes, trying to keep the skin intact. It’s ok if you don’t get it all out.
Add the potato flesh to the quinoa mixture and stir well to combined.
Spoon the quinoa mixture back into the empty potato skins until well stuffed and place back in the oven at 400 F for 10 minutes. You may have some filling left over, so you can choose to pile it high or serve on the side.
In a small blender, blend together half the avocado, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest and a good pinch of salt. Season to taste.
Serve potatoes with avocado cilantro sauce, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions and lime wedges. Add your favorite hot sauce and extra avocado on the side.
Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!
2 Comments
Kelsey
April 19, 2013 at 7:44 pmMade these for lunch today & holy cow! Best way to eat a sweet potato that’s for sure. I did not have chickpeas so I used black beans & it was super scrumptious :) thank you for sharing! As a vegan, your recipes are very inspiring.
Jodi Kay
April 20, 2013 at 5:29 amThank you so much, Kelsey! Using black beans is a great idea – must have been delicious! Will have to try that for dinner this week :) Thanks for sharing x