Sweet Potato black bean burritos

I seem to be on a sweet potato kick these days. Maybe I've been craving beta-carotene? Or Vitamin A? who knows.

I love those dishes that let you throw all of those left over veggies in the fridge in with it. Broccoli? yep! Carrots? sure! peppers. yes please. also, I love, More with Less. And their seasonal cookbook - Simply in Season, where this one comes from (ps- you can sign up for a weekly email!). The only sad thing about SIS is that their winter dishes all involve sweet potatoes, turnips, potatoes. and no green veggies. i guess that's the thing about buying seasonally.

the first time I had this was Senior Year - during Simply Living group - which was kind of a precursor for Friday Night Dinner - which was pretty much one of the best things in my life.

The only thing that you need to know is that it makes a ton. good for sharing

3 cups sweet potatoes (diced/or in cubes)

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

saute in large fry pan with oil, until tender. add water or apple juice as needed to prevent sticking.

Add:

1 can black beans (about 2 cups)

What ever other veggies you have (peppers and broccoli are good)

1 full teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 - 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

(opt - 1 tsp chili powder)

cook until heated.

Eat with Flour or corn tortillas, add Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc!

yummmm

Curried Black Bean and Sweet Potato Skillet

Here are things that I love:

1) dishes that can be made in one pan

2) dishes that you can change up by adding different foods (like carrots, zucchini, try anything you like!)

3) Quinoa.

4) Sweet Potatos

I found this recipe last year. I love dietitians that have food blogs. they usually make great recipes. I changed this one a bit (ie - swiss chard scares me. and we all know that i don't like new things or changes.)

Curried Black Bean and Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients

2 sweet potates, chopped into small cubes.
1 red onion, diced
½ a jalapeno, diced (so they say...)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped up
2 bell peppers (any color will do)
1-15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup uncooked quinoa (cooked to directions - red or white will do. will be about 2 cups cooked)
½ cup low sodium veggie broth (or you can make your own!)
2 tsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of curry powder and/or garam masala.

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan. Stir in your onions and jalapeños and allow to cook for about five minutes. Stir in the sweet potatoes, curry powder, a pinch of salt and half of the veggie broth. Once everything is well combined, pop a lid on and cook for about six to eight minutes or until your sweet potatoes are just about fork tender.

Add the bean, quinoa, Swiss chard, and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining broth in to the pan before popping the lid on and allowing to cook for another five minutes or so or until the beans are heated through.

Sweet Potato and Split-pea Soup!

Ok - whoops I haven't posted in a while. you know how life gets. (thanks emily, for the reminder)

I love that Whole Food puts out recipes. They are usually delicious and healthy. And this one's no exception. The Italian in me told me to add three cloves of garlic. It was right. Also, you're supposed to blend it, but i was too hungry to do that. Finally, I increased the ginger, but I imagine that it would also be delicious if added cumin (ie fried up about a table spoon of cumin seeds) or added curry powder. But it's delicious on it's own, and super cheap, and easy!

Ingredients

8 1/2 cups water

1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

2 cups dried yellow split peas (be sure to pick out any stones)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (opt for garnish)

Method

Bring 1/2 cup water to simmer in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in ginger and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add remaining 8 cups water, peas and sweet potato cubes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to simmer 15 minutes. Carefully purée soup with a hand held immersion blender or in batches in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.