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?
This post is shared with the list of fabulous parties found here.
Bobbi says
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.
Shannah Coe says
We are big candied sweet potato fans here too…well, at least my husband is. I prefer less sweet versions like these.
Happy Valley Chow says
I’m not a huge sweet potato person, but these look delicious! Great recipe 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Shannah Coe says
I am not typically a huge sweet potato person either. I think they can be too sweet most of the time. Thanks 🙂
Stephanie says
These look so good, I adore sweet potatoes and I bet they are amazing this way!
Shannah Coe says
Thanks! Sweet potatoes are hit or miss for me but I loved the flavors in these.
Allyson says
These both look delicious! Being a vegetarian I’m all for seeing more veggie recipes! Cheers to the new year!
Shannah Coe says
Thanks so much! I had NO idea you were a vegetarian. 🙂
Aniko@Placeofmytaste says
I love sweet potato in any form and this looks so delish!Pinning!
Shannah Coe says
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.
Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 says
Stuffing sweet potatoes? What a fun idea! Pinning!
Shannah Coe says
I was trying to think of a way to do something a little healthier than white potatoes and decided sweet potatoes were the answer!
Gurvy Green says
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