This guest post comes from Natalie and Holly over at The Modern Proper. Their mission is to reinvent proper for the modern homemaker, one delicious meal at a time—and that's a mission we can get behind. Below, they're sharing one of our favorite nutrient-packed recipes: roasted sweet potatoes topped with sautéed kale, grilled chicken, creamy avocado, and a delicious Chipotle Cashew Cream. Savory and satisfying, this is a dish you'll keep in rotation all season long.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to be successful at eating healthy for any amount of time, I can’t constantly feel deprived. Salads day after day just don’t cut it. The temperatures are dropping and even though I don’t want junk, I still want cozy, comfort food.
It was with that mindset that this dish was born. You start with perfectly fluffy sweet potatoes filled with sauteed kale, onions, and garlic. Then you add your protein (a must!) in the form of grilled chicken (or a shredded rotisserie if you want to keep it simple during the week). Chickpeas are a great alternative for vegetarian friends. Then you really kick up the flavor with an amazing homemade chipotle sauce made with cashews for all the creaminess without any dairy (!), plus sliced avocado and cilantro to top it off.
The result is a meal I’d eat any time of year, but one I particularly appreciate now as I’m trying to maintain healthy eating habits as we begin to near the holiday season. Food—even (and especially) healthy food—should bring joy. You’ll never sell me on an eating plan that deprives me of flavor and variety, and it’s recipes like this one that make me wonder why I ever stray from good eating habits to begin with. So without further ado, let’s get to it.
Loaded Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium garnet red sweet potatoes
- 4 cups grilled or roasted chicken, shredded OR rinsed chickpeas
- 4 cups loosely packed kale, roughly chopped and stems removed
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Chipotle Cashew Cream
- 1 avocado, for garnish
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Chipotle Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 small chipotle pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tsp adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers
Instructions:
1. For the Chipotle Cashew Cream, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend for 7-10 minutes until smooth, scraping down sides occasionally. Adjust seasoning as you see fit. We like it a little on the spicier side, so you can always add more peppers to turn up the heat. Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.
2. Preheat oven to 325°. Using a fork puncture a couple holes into the sweet potatoes and line them on a baking sheet. Cook the sweet potatoes for 60-75 minutes or until they can be pierced with a fork.
3. Once the sweet potatoes are almost done cooking, heat the oil in medium skillet. Add kale and onions and stir until coated with oil. Allow to cook at medium to low heat until onions and kale are tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Add garlic and salt and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Once sweet potatoes are cooked and out of the oven, use a sharp knife to make a long cut into the sweet potato and pull open. With a fork, fluff the inside.
6. Add toppings. Start with the kale and onion mixture, then add chicken, sliced avocado, cilantro and, Chipotle Cashew Cream. Serve hot and enjoy!
Planning to wear baby while you cook? Check out our tips for safe babywearing in the kitchen.
