At the beginning of the year, I asked on my Facebook page what readers were looking for in the New Year from the blog. A friend of mine asked for more vegetarian recipes. Now, I’m a meat eater to the core {with the exception of a year stint as a vegetarian back in college} so this was definitely a challenge for me. I decided to start small and created stuffed sweet potato skins for a great vegetarian alternative to the traditional potato skins filled with bacon.
I ended up making two different versions of the sweet potato skins because I figured it would be a great way to offer a variety if you were to serve them at a party but it wouldn’t require much additional work.
The first version is a tex-mex style sweet potato skin filled with black beans, corn, and cheese. Then, you top it with a squeeze of lime a dollop of sour cream.
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
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Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce cleaned sweet potatoes with a fork 5-6 times. Wrap in foil and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until medium firmness {you don't want them as soft as you would for mashed sweet potatoes}. Remove from oven and take off foil to let cool.
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Slice potatoes lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the middle and cut into small chunks.
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In a small bowl, mix sweet potato chunks, black beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice together. Spoon into sweet potato halves and top with cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and serve.
The other version I made has more Indian inspired flavors and comes with a crunchy cashew topping.
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2 tsp grapeseed oil
- 1/2 medium sized onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cashew pieces roughly chopped
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce cleaned sweet potatoes with a fork 5-6 times. Wrap in foil and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until medium firmness {you don't want them as soft as you would for mashed sweet potatoes}. Remove from oven and take off foil to let cool.
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Slice sweet potatoes lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the inside of the potato and place in a medium sized bowl. Mash with a fork.
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Heat oil over medium heat in a small pan. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and ginger and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the bowl with the potato pulp. Add cilantro, garam marsala and lemon juice. Stir together until well combined.
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Spoon mixture back into potato skins and place in the oven for 5-6 minutes or until hot. Top with cashew pieces and serve.
Have you ever tried substituting sweet potatoes for the traditional potato skins? What are your favorite toppings for potato skins?
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These look so good. My family loves sweet potatoes but we usually only eat them candied around the holidays. I will have to make these for something different.
Bobbi recently posted…Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
We are big candied sweet potato fans here too…well, at least my husband is. I prefer less sweet versions like these.
I’m not a huge sweet potato person, but these look delicious! Great recipe 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Happy Valley Chow recently posted…How-to: Repair Power Cord on Kitchen Gadget
I am not typically a huge sweet potato person either. I think they can be too sweet most of the time. Thanks 🙂
These look so good, I adore sweet potatoes and I bet they are amazing this way!
Stephanie recently posted…Hard Candy Neon Bubble iPad Mini Case // Giveaway
Thanks! Sweet potatoes are hit or miss for me but I loved the flavors in these.
These both look delicious! Being a vegetarian I’m all for seeing more veggie recipes! Cheers to the new year!
Thanks so much! I had NO idea you were a vegetarian. 🙂
I love sweet potato in any form and this looks so delish!Pinning!
Aniko@Placeofmytaste recently posted…RED-VELVET CAKE POTS FOR YOUR VALENTINE
I used to stay away from sweet potatoes because they were always SO sweet. Now, I like to make them a little more savory and I can eat them.
Stuffing sweet potatoes? What a fun idea! Pinning!
Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 recently posted…February Menu
I was trying to think of a way to do something a little healthier than white potatoes and decided sweet potatoes were the answer!
These look delicious, your photos are very crisp! I am buying some sweet potatoes tomorrow, I have everything else. My family will love these. Thanks for sharing coming from Creativity Unleashed Link Party for a PIN! Share the love at GurvyGreen.com
Gurvy Green recently posted…Munch on this Monday — Caprese Kabob on a stick