STUFFED BAKED SWEET POTATO WITH SPICED BLACK BEANS AND CHIPOTLE-AVOCADO CREMA TOPPING

I have been wanting to create something with stuffed sweet potatoes for quite a while now, and oh boy... do I wish I had done it sooner!  This creation was sooo heavenly! In fact, my daughter has put this dish as one of her all time favorites. 

This recipe has a little kick to it, so if spicy is not your thing, lower the amount of jalapeno, cumin, and chipotle powder by half.  We are spice lovers in this household, so a lot of my recipes are on the slightly fiery side. This dish can be an appetizer on it's own, or a main course if served with a nice salad, quinoa, or rice. Either way, you will be glad you made it!




STUFFED BAKED SWEET POTATO WITH SPICED BLACK BEANS AND CHIPOTLE AVOCADO CREMA TOPPING


Ingredients:


For the stuffed potatoes:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 4 medium sized sweet potatoes (yams)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped small
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans (about 2/3 cup of dried beans. Click here to learn how to cook beans)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin powder
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the chipotle-avocado crema:

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and skin removed
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

For the sweet potatoes:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F 
2. Pierce each sweet potato with a fork several times
3. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil
4. Bake until tender about 45 minutes
5. Remove from the oven

For the spiced black beans:

1. In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil under medium heat
2. Add the onions and garlic, and saute 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent
3. Add the green pepper, the jalapeno, and the tomato, and cook for about 10 minutes until the peppers are softened
4. Add the black beans, cumin powder, salt, and pepper, and cook a few more minutes until everything is heated through

For the chipotle- avocado crema:

1. Put all of the ingredients into a high speed blender and mix until very smooth

To assemble:

1. Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise but not all the way through, just so they open up, almost like a butterfly.
2. Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the spiced black bean mixture
3. Top with the avocado crema

Enjoy!!

This will make 4 servings