This is one of the best vegan recipes I’ve ever made. I’m going to make it again and again for dinner because it’s so delicious and (relatively) easy.
I like stuffed sweet potatoes because they’re the vegetable equivalent of a one-pot meal. You roast it in the oven, crack it open, and put whatever you want on top. I’ve done arugula and lemon salads, chickpeas, and other toppings.
Last night I decided to make one with a kale/mint salad and tahini dressing. I had extra mint that I wanted to use up from the vegan shamrock smoothie that I made earlier this week. I also had extra kale and pomegranate seeds.
The best part about this dish is the combination of textures and flavors. I’ve said it a million times but I’m a big fan of multiple elements in food. I like soft and crunchy things together, and sweet and savory things. This sweet potato has sweet pomegranates, smokey roasted nuts, crunchy kale, crisp mint, and nutty tahini. If you don’t want to eat the potato after hearing all that, you never will.
My least favorite part about this recipe is waiting for the sweet potato to cook. I have no patience. Maybe you’re more patient than me, though. If you’re not, a trick is to poke the sweet potato with a fork a few times before you wrap it in tinfoil and put it in the oven. This will help the potato cook faster.
In other news, it’s the weekend and I’m very excited about it. I’m going to cook pasta with my sister tonight and then tomorrow night, I’m going to a holiday party at my boss’s house.
I’m using the latter event as an excuse to dress us. I’m going to wear a black dress that I haven’t put on in years. I don’t care if I’m the fanciest person there because it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed, in my opinion.
Here’s a song that describes my feelings for this sweet potato and the idea of getting dressed up for a party. It came on this morning while I was driving to work. I heard it for the first time a couple years ago after my sister recommended it. “It makes you feel victorious,” she said, and it’s true. Every time I listen to it, no matter what kind of day I’m having, I feel like I could run up the steps and bounce around like Rocky.
Stuffed Sweet Potato with Kale Mint Salad
Ingredients
for the sweet potato:
1 medium to large sweet potato
1 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped mint
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup walnuts, roasted and chopped
for the tahini dressing:
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup tahini
1 Tbsp warm water, or more as needed
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp maple syrup
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick a sweet potato a few times with a fork and then wrap in tinfoil. Place in the oven and cook for about one hour, or one and a half hours depending on how large it is.
Roast the walnuts in a small pan over medium high heat. Once they’re brown and fragrant, remove from heat, let cool slightly, and chop.
Mix the nuts, kale, mint, olive oil, and pomegranate seeds in a small bowl. Set aside.
Make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, tahini, warm water, sea salt, and maple syrup. You may have to add more warm water later to make the dressing thinner. It should be about the consistency of honey.
Once the potato is done cooking, cut it in a “T” shape. Fill it with the kale mint salad and sprinkle tahini dressing on top. Enjoy!
When I had lunch at Confluence yesterday, I got a dish I’ve wanted to try for a while: The tempeh with beets and black tahini. I’d seen someone next to me order it after I’d already placed my order.
The other thing I love about Confluence is the warmth of the staff. I usually go to lunch there during the work week because it’s a few blocks from my office. I use it as an escape.
allezlefood.com 