Stuffed sweet potatoes with beans and guacamole

This vegetarian dish looks wonderful and tastes delicious. The combination of roasted sweet potatoes, spicy beans and tangy guacamole is a treat for eye and palate. You can’t help but stop and admire how it looks on your plate before digging in.

I also appreciate the ease with which you can adapt this recipe to suit your tastebuds. Play with the amount of spice or with substitutes. If you don’t have cayenne, you might use chilli powder or the slightly milder paprika. If you don’t care for feta, top with grated cheddar, etc.

Another great thing is you can prepare the components of this dish in advance. Even the guacamole can be prepared ahead of time, although it might lose some of its vibrant colour the longer it’s stored.

If preparing in advance of serving, store the potatoes, bean mixture and guacamole, separately, in air-tight containers in the fridge for up to three days. When it’s time to eat, reheat the beans in a skillet and the potatoes in the oven, assemble and top with guacamole and garnishes.

The recipe below serves four people but adjusts easily to feed more. I know for a fact this recipe is great to feed and please a hungry crowd. Simon and I prepared it for a gathering of 30 friends and family this past summer. It got rave reviews. Being able to prepare things in advance made it so much easier.

We served it alongside rice and a chunky homemade salsa.

Stuffed sweet potatoes with beans and guacamole (adapted from this recipe)

Spice-rubbed sweet potatoes:

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 9 ounces each)

1 tablespoon melted virgin coconut or vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Bean mixture:

1 tablespoon melted virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 red onion, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained

3/4 cup vegetable broth

2 cups fresh baby spinach (frozen works, too.)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 medium size tomato, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

chopped cilantro for garnish.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and rub with oil and spice mixture. Arrange cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast until fork-tender, about 25 minutes.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion starts to turn translucent, 2–3 minutes. Add beans, broth, salt, cayenne and cumin. Cook until liquid is reduced and beans soften, about 10 minutes.

Mash avocado and garlic in a bowl until smooth. Stir in chopped tomato, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Add spinach and lime juice to bean mixture. Cook until spinach wilts, about 30 seconds.

Using the back of a spoon, gently push down in centre of each potato half to create a canoe.

Spoon bean mixture into potato halves, then top evenly with guacamole, feta cheese and remaining cilantro.

Tomato, corn and avocado salad

This hearty salad is a feast for the eyes (all those colours!) as well as the appetite.

But before you get to enjoy it you must chop!

Maybe it’s a chore you dread and prefer to delegate. Or you might decide that chopping is part of the beauty of life. Using gorgeous fresh produce and a good sharp knife improves the chopping experience, too. I'm beginning to notice, when focussing on this simple task, a sort of peacefulness. 

Serve this salad as a chunky guacamole with a large side bowl of corn chips or as a salad to accompany a main dish.

Throw in a can of rinsed black beans and you've got yourself a complete meal.

Tomato, corn and avocado salad

4 ears of corn (or the equivalent amount of cooked frozen corn, approx 2 cups)

4 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

4 tomatoes, 1/2-inch diced

8 green onion, thinly sliced or 1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (or other herb of choice)

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Microwave the cobs in their husks for 3-4 minutes. Once cool, remove husks and chop the kernels off with the cobs lying on their sides. 

Chop remaining ingredients.

Gently toss the all the ingredients in a large bowl with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and chopped coriander.

Garnish with extra coriander. Squeeze a couple of sections of lime on the salad right before serving.

Egg-stuffed tomatoes with pesto

If you haven’t yet noticed I like recipes that are adaptable and versatile. This recipe works as a side dish, but if you double it you’ve got yourself a main course. Make this dish when you’re eating solo or need to serve a large crowd.

The recipe is easy to prepare but here are some important added tips:

If your tomatoes don't sit up right, slice the bottom tip off so they won’t roll around. 

Use large tomatoes, at least 3 inches in diameter.

Run a paring knife around the inner rim of the tomato, loosening up the flesh on the inside of the tomato. Use a small spoon and scoop out the flesh, juice and seeds. 

Don't waste the insides! Save them to make tabouli. Or blend with a little garlic and onion and mix into your pasta sauce.

Use store-bought pesto or make your own. Alternatively,  season the insides of the tomatoes with oregano, pepper and a little olive oil.

Don't fret about overflow. Some egg white might end up on the bottom of the baking sheet but don't let it bother you, although I suggest you line your baking dish with parchment for an easy clean up. 

I topped mine with crumbled goat feta and cracked black pepper. But any grated cheese will work as would bread crumbs, chopped parsley or green onion.

Egg-stuffed tomatoes with pesto

Adapted from this recipe.

Large tomatoes

Pesto

Eggs

Salt and pepper

Cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350 F

Brush an oven proof dish with olive oil or line with parchment paper.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and flesh.

Sprinkle the insides with a little salt and place upside down on paper towel for 10 minutes to drain.

Place the tomatoes in the prepared dish. 

Put a spoonful of pesto inside each tomato or season the insides with oregano, pepper and a little olive oil.

Break an egg into each tomato. Add topping of your choice (grated cheese, crumbled feta, bread crumbs).

Bake for 25 minutes, or for less time if you want your eggs runny.

Garnish with parsley (optional) and serve.