Baked sweet potatoes make for such a good lunch or dinner! You can make these ahead of time and just reheat things when you’re ready to eat. They take a little bit of time in the oven but you’re just waiting for most of that time – there’s not lots you need to do to make them delicious. You can read a book, dance round the kitchen, have a glass of wine etc while you wait for the oven to do it’s thing.

I also loved baked regular potatoes, these chimichurri and cheddar ones are so good, you have to try them.  But sometimes a sweet potato seems like a preferable option especially if I want an extra dose of fiber or vitamin C that day. So basically when I feel a cold coming on, especially as with the whole fructose thing there’s quite a bit of fruit that’s off limits to me. And it’s Autumn now – the weather is changing – you’ve got to keep yourself all healthy for the approaching winter. Actively avoiding a Game of Thrones quote right now 🙂

The smoky tomato and beans that fill these potatoes are so comforting and filling. Then you’ve got the fresh topping to lend a little brightness. If you can get avocadoes for less than $5 an avo then totally put some guac or avocado on these too but alas when I went to shoot this recipe I just couldn’t justify the cost so left them off. They were still delicious and I didn’t miss them so I thought just this one time I might not add avo to something. Shock. Horror. Who even am I?

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp smoky paprika

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp finely chopped coriander root

½ tsp smoky paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 clove garlic

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 cup cucumber , 1 cm dice

1/3 cup spring onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup coriander, roughly chopped

1 jalapeno chilli, finely diced

juice and zest of 1 lime

2 tsp olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

Prick wash potatoes with a sharp knife, Rub with olive. Mix together salt, smoky paprika and cumin and spread on a plate. Roll each potato in the salt mix and place on a lined tray.

Bake for 60 minutes or until the skin is crisp and the potato is soft. If your potatoes are larger it will take longer.

Meanwhile add the remaining olive oil to a small pot, place on medium high heat and once the oil is hot add the paprika and oregano, once fragrant add garlic, turn down the heat and saute gently for less than a minute. Add the tomatoes and beans and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook for 15 minutes then turn off the heat. You can warm up again when your potatoes are ready.

Once potatoes are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, make a cut down the center and sprinkle the cheese inside the potatoes. Return to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Remove. Fill with warm tomato and beans and then sprinkle over the other toppings. Feel free to add some avocado slices too!

HH. x