Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

You can indulge with your sweet potatoes in more than one way. Enjoy as a side or a main meal, either way these baked goodies will be sure to make your tummy smile.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized sweet potato (of course just double the recipe if you’re making for two persons and so forth for more)
• olive oil
• 1/3 of a small onion
• 1/4 cup of red sweet pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• few springs of fresh cilantro
• dashes of whole milk (almond milk is also a great substitute)
• 1 table spoon of mayonnaise (greek yogurt is a healthier alternative that tastes great)
• smoked paprika
• cajun seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• cheddar cheese for topping (I prefer Anchor cheddar cheese)
• Optional: you can add some cheese into the sweet potato mix
• Optional: to make this into a full meal add in shrimp or chicken, 3-4 mushrooms chopped and a handful of spinach).

How To

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare the sweet potato to be baked. Thoroughly wash with soap, water and a sponge removing all dirt. Dry the potato with a paper towel and then poke some holes with a knife or fork. Place it in a piece of foil and drizzle a little oil on top, make sure to rub the oil all over. Completely wrap the potato in foil and place in the oven to bake for a total of one hour or until soft. Turn the sweet potato on its other side at the 30 minute mark, so it bakes evenly.
2. While the sweet potato bakes, finely chop the onion, sweet pepper and cilantro. I use a garlic press to mince the garlic. On medium heat in a saucepan, add about 1 tsp of oil and heat that up for about 30 seconds. Add in the onions, cook for 1 minute, then add in your sweet peppers and garlic and cook for another minute. Then add in your cilantro and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
3. When the sweet potato has finished baking, remove the foil and place in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes so its cool enough to touch so you can scoop out the sweet potato from the skin. Use a knife to slit the sweet potato down the middle and then use a small spoon to scoop out as much potato as possible. Keep the skin as in tact as best as you can, to fill it with the sweet potato mixture you’re about to make.
4. After you scoop your sweet potato into a bowl, add in a few splashes of milk, 1 scoop of mayonnaise or greek yogurt, a few sprinkles of smoked paprika, cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Taste as you go and adjust seasonings. Use either a fork or potato masher to combine all ingredients until you have a smooth texture. Optional:add in 1/4 cup of cheese.
5. Scoop the mixture into the sweet potato skin and top with some cheese and smoked paprika. Bake for 10 mins at 400ºF or until cheese is melted with a slight brown for colour.
6. Optional: garnish with some fresh cilantro.
7. Dig in! 😉

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