Stuffed Sweet Potato

This was the byproduct of my brainstorming on a lazy afternoon (The best time to brainstorm in my opinion! Aren't lazy afternoons the best?). I knew I wanted something packed with nutrients for dinner, but I wanted to put in minimal effort. Yes, there are days where even I don't feel like being in the kitchen for very long! So I made this stuffed sweet potato. Minus the fact you have to start about an hour before you want to eat (to let the potato bake) it really requires very little effort. It is also packed with nutrients, costs very little to make, and leaves you feeling comfortably full - and most importantly, satisfied.

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 sweet onion, sliced into thin strips
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (optional) 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to your desired level of spice)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 avocados
Juice of 1 lime

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 F. Poke holes in the top of your sweet potatoes, and place on a cookie sheet in the oven on the center rack to bake. Set your timer for 60 minutes. When there is only 30 minutes left on the timer, combine your veggies, garlic, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the sea salt, and the rest of the spices. Toss in a baking pan, and place on a rack in your oven below the roasting potatoes for the last 25 minutes. The potatoes are done if soft when poked with a fork. Remove the potatoes and the veggies from the oven. Chop your avocado and toss in a bowl with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and lime juice. Place each potato on a plate, cut down the center but not all the way through, mash a bit of the inside of the potato with a fork, stuff with equal amounts of veggies, and top with the avocado mixture. Now it's time to dig in, enjoy!

Mexican Chili

This is another one of those quick go-to meals when I'm feeling tired but want a delicious, flavorful, healthy, hearty meal for later. This one has to cook on the stove for about an hour so think ahead of time to start it for dinner. There is something about the flavors of Mexican food that Scott and I go crazy over. So I decided one day to try to make a vegan Mexican chili - and I now make it at least once a week! I've learned as a vegan that a lot of my protein comes from eating beans. Lots and lots of beans. This worried me at first cause, well, we all know what beans can do to you internally, but I found if you rinse the beans well enough before cooking you get rid of the gasses and avoid the bloats and toots (haha). So bring on the beans!

Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) organic black beans
1 can (15 ounces) organic pinto beans
1 can (15 ounces) organic diced and fire roasted tomatoes and green chilies (TJ's is my favorite)
1 can's worth of filtered water
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 package of Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if not using Soy Chorizo)
1 teaspoon cumin

Rinse and drain the beans well in a colander, and then place in a large pot. Add the can of fire roasted tomatoes and green chillies and water, and bring to a boil on the stove. While your pot is heating to a boil, heat a sauté pan to medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic. Once onion has turned translucent, add the soy chorizo, breaking it apart and heating it all the way through. Now add the sauté pan mixture to you boiling pot on the stove. Add spices, stir well and reduce to a simmer, cover, and let simmer on low for approximately one hour (stirring occasionally). Serve immediately, or let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for quick grab-and-go lunches and dinners!

Roasted Sweet Potato Burrito

I was craving a sweet potato and Mexican food at the same time... So I thought, why not season the sweet potato with cayenne and cumin for a spicy Mexican flavor and put it in a burrito! Chopped up small, and roasted in the oven, these sweet potato bites are my new favorite burrito filling. Not to mention they are full of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and are a strong anti-inflammatory food. I recommend using the sprouted tortillas in this recipe as well for their awesome nutrition value (they are tasty too). One tortilla (by Ezekiel) made from all natural sprouted grains contains 18 amino acids, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and is rich in vitamins and minerals. Now, on top of all this goodness, add more fiber and protein from the black beans and avocado and you have one nutritious AND delicious meal! Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top and you're in burrito heaven.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup chopped sweet potato (I left the skins on, chopped in 1/2 inch - 1 inch cubes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin 
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like it spicy)
2 sprouted tortillas
1 cup black beans (heated and seasoned with some sea salt - garlic powder would be yummy too)
1 avocado (pealed and sliced)
1 lime
Pico de gallo or salsa on the side (optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Chop the sweet potato and place in a baking dish. Toss olive oil, sea salt, cumin, and cayenne with the chopped sweet potato. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Heat your tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften, and then pile them high with your delicious fillings! I layered the black beans first (1/2 cup for each burrito), then the sweet potato and avocado slices, and topped with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Roll up that burrito and enjoy bite after bite bursting with flavor. Serve with pico or salsa for some added awesomeness.

Enchiladas with Avocado Lime Cream Sauce

This is by far one of my "top five" vegan dinner recipes. They taste as if you are having an indulgent Mexican dinner, but they are actually fueling your body with tons of vitamins and nutrients from the chopped spinach and sweet potato in the filling! It is crazy how well all these unique flavors blend together giving you the most delicious enchilada. And then it gets even better with an avocado lime cream sauce on top. Yum! You won't even miss the meat, cheese, or sour cream. This is one of the most flavorful enchiladas I have ever had (and healthy!) - and I owe it to Oh She Glows (here) for giving me this wonderful recipe. Below is my modified version. Enjoy!

Enchiladas
8 corn tortillas
1 cup peeled and finely chopped sweet potato
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach, de-stemmed and finely chopped
2 cups drained and rinsed black beans
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (I used one bottle of Trader Joe's enchilada sauce)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin

Avocado Cream Sauce
2 avocados
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small pot on the stove on high heat, add the sweet potato and cover with water. Bring it to a boil, and cook for 5-10 minutes (careful not to over cook). Drain in colander.

In a deep pan, or large pot, heated to medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until onion turns translucent. Then add in the black beans, sweet potato, and enchilada sauce. Stir to combine, then add the spices and lime juice. Finally, add the spinach and let the mixture continue cooking and fusing together for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat up the 8 corn tortillas between two paper towels in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them. Scoop some of the filling into the bottom of a 13x9 inch non-stick baking pan and spread evenly. Then place one corn tortilla in the pan at a time, filling and rolling each of the 8 tortillas. Top the rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce/filling. Then bake for 20 minutes.

While the enchiladas are baking, prepare your avocado cream sauce! In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients listed for the sauce above, and puree. And thats it! Spread evenly atop the enchiladas when they come out of the oven and serve!

Side-note: Only spread the avocado cream sauce on top of the enchiladas you will be eating that night, for it will discolor on top the leftovers in the refrigerator. I made this mistake the first time I made these!

Balsamic Roasted Chickpea Salad & Wrap

Balsamic and Mexican flavors combined? I know, I thought it sounded weird too. But at the time it was all I had in my refrigerator so I gave it a go and made the wrap pictured above, and LOVED it so much I remade it as a salad too. Marinating chickpeas is going to be a new "thing" for me now. They absorb the flavor so well, making it easy to use them in all sorts of dishes! A boost of protein to any meal, they are great meat replacers too.

Balsamic Roasted Chickpeas (2-3 servings)
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt

Wrap or Salad (1 serving)
Whole romaine leaf for wrap, or chopped greens for salad (I used chopped organic spinach)
2 tablespoons Pico de gallo
1 whole Avocado
1/3 cup balsamic roasted chickpeas

Rinse the cooked chickpeas well, and then toss in a container with balsamic vinegar. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Turning halfway through to make sure all the chickpeas get some balsamic love.

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Drain extra balsamic liquid from the chickpea container, and then toss them with the sea salt. Spread chickpeas out on an oiled or nonstick baking pan, and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Assemble you salad or wrap with the ingredients listed above and enjoy!

Mexican Black Bean Burger

Ah yes, the most commonly made dinner in my house. The black bean burger. Specifically, the Mexican black bean burger. You cannot go wrong with these! So simple and quick to make, and exploding with flavor.

Burger Ingredients (Yields 2)
1 can organic black beans (16 oz.)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup pico de gallo (or other favorite salsa)

Drain and rinse black beans in a colander, then place in a mixing bowl. Toss beans with flour and spices. Then, with your hands (yay for getting messy!), squish and mash the beans up until about half are fully mashed, leaving some whole for texture. Add in the pico de gallo (or other salsa) and incorporate it into the bean mixture with your hands. If the mixture is too wet to form patties with, sprinkle in more whole wheat flour until desired consistency is reached.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Cook patties in the pan for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they are nice and brown and crispy.

Dress up the burger however you'd like - the most common way in my house is just topping it with some homemade guacamole (2 avocados + sea salt + pico de gallo). I'm getting hungry just writing this post.