Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Sweet Potato with Warm Black Bean Salad...

Is what I made for dinner. Here's the recipe from Eating Well. It's amazing, extremely easy, and at only 295 calories per serving (one potato + topping), it's so very healthy. I took pictures so I could give you, my blog readers, step-by-step instructions.

Cast of characters: 4 sweet potatoes (I only made 2 and kept the extra topping for later), a can of black beans, 1 tomato, 1 tsp. coriander, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 c. reduced fat sour cream (I only used half of the sour cream).

Prick a bunch of holes in each sweet potato and then pop in the microwave for 11 or so minutes (that's how long it took the two I made tonight to cook through).

Drain and rinse your black beans. Throw them in a medium-sized bowl.

Chop your tomato into pretty small pieces.

Throw the tomato into the bowl with the black beans.

Pour in the tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the teaspoon of cumin.

Plus, the teaspoon of coriander and the 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Pop this in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.

While the bean and tomato mixture is heating up, take your hot sweet potatoes and cut down the center. Squeeze the ends to make a "well" in the center. Caution: the potato will be HOT!!

Take the bean mixture out of the microwave, spoon 1/4 of it onto the potato and top with about a tablespoon or so of sour cream! And, voila!, you have dinner!!!

Now, if you don't think you like sweet potatoes, I BEG of you to try this recipe! It's not sweet or sugary at all! I'm so full from eating it, yet I want another one because it's that good. And, 295 calories? C'mon! That's just amazing!

Tomorrow: It's Earth Day so, of course, I'll blog about some of my homemade, eco-friendly hobbies. Stay tuned...

5 comments:

Shannon said...

beans? with a sweet potato? i can't even imagine that. i especially can't imagine tomatoes with beans with sweet potatoes. wow. i also have an aversion to black beans ;] i should definitely try this sometime, though, since you say it's great!!! :) sweet potatoes are so yummy! however, i like to add cinnamon and brown sugar to them :\ not very healthy. hahaha. oh, and i didn't capitalize at all throughout this comment. whoops :D but i love your little food post!!! i vote for a zillion more of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brittany said...

I LOVE sweet potatoes with sugar and cinnamon. Absolutely LOVE!!! But, when I saw this recipe, I figured I should at least try it! And, it REALLY surprised me. It's very good, I promise! And, if you don't like black beans, you could use pinto.

I will do tons more of these posts. It was so fun taking pictures last night. John David walked in and said, "It's going to take you an hour longer to cook dinner now, isn't it?" Hahaha! It only took me, like, 5 minutes longer! : )

jPoling said...

The potato looks great Brittany! Remember when you have it, cilantro can always be used in place of coriander for a brighter color and in my opinion better flavor. Plus, I always go fresh over dried if possible. Also watch your sodium levels in canned beans. I am by no means a health nut, but its ridiculous how much sodium they pack into canned stuff. While dried beans take more planning, you get an identical flavor with much less salt. Still a great dish with limitless possibilities! Mexican food is one of my specialties, so if you have questions let me know!

Brittany said...

Thanks Josh! I know I have GOT to start making my own beans. I just never think about it. Any suggestions for quick cooking them? I was supposed to top the potato with cilantro, but can you believe they were completely out at kroger? I was disappointed, but soon I should have plenty in my back yard!! I am always open for new recipes and cooking advice from you. : ) Jd and I have got to make a trip to eat at your restaurant!

jPoling said...

Dried beans are a pain because you have to plan ahead, but its worth it to control the sodium. One tip a lot of people do is soak then freeze. So you can buy a bag, soak them overnight, then freeze them in individual quantities. Then they're ready for use right out of the freezer.