Healthy Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I'm baaaaack!

Sorry that, after promising to post more often, I basically took a one month hiatus. In my defense, we've been to Maryland (bridal shower, wedding planning, Christmas), Florida (family time, New Year's) and I just got back from Savannah last weekend (Bachelorette party!!!).

Needless to say, my time in the kitchen has been limited. BUT, I'm back and here to stay (at least until May when finals/my summer job/wedding make life REALLY crazy).

So, here's the story with these potatoes:

My neighbor and AWESOME friend Beth recently discovered she's allergic to...life. Life = gluten, dairy, corn, soy...and probably more things that I'm forgetting. OH, and she's vegetarian. What?! She and her family came over for dinner last night, and trying to figure out what to cook for Beth was a serious challenge, but I think I nailed it. These potatoes were super tasty and REALLY easy to make.

There are a lot of ways to change up these potatoes - feel free to add ground beef or chicken. Also, if you're not allergic to dairy, a sprinkle of sharp cheddar on top of these would be SO GOOD!

Here's what you need (inspired by How Sweet Eats)...

2 sweet potatoes

1 can of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

*Cheddar cheese for topping

Here's what you do...

1. Preheat oven to 350. Poke a few holes in your potatoes and bake (wrapped in foil) for between 60-90 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. In a pan, saute onion, red pepper and garlic until soft. About 6-10 minutes. 

3. Add your beans and seasoning. Turn heat to low and saute for a few minutes to let everything combine.

4. While your filling is simmering, cut your potatoes in half, remove the filling and put into a bowl. 

5. Combine bean mixture with potato in the bowl and mix well. 

6. Put the filling back into your potato shells - stuff them well! If you have any leftover filling, just put it into an oven safe dish and bake with the potatoes - this makes a great side dish.

7. Bake your stuffed potatoes for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

The bonus with these potatoes is that they are also really low calorie. This is a great guilt-free weeknight meal. 

Have a fantastic week!!! I promise - more recipes coming more often (I mean it this time)!

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One Year Blog Anniversary!

1 year ago today, I posted my very first blog entry (which desperately needs to be updated).

I started this for myself - I needed a distraction from law school that had nothing to do with law school. I love to cook, so it seemed like the perfect solution, plus I could keep track of all my favorite recipes. I really did not know how long this would last.

1 year and 66 posts later (including 1 video thanks to Castoriginal Productions!), I am overwhelmed by the love/support for this blog! I've received so many kind words and it's made doing this a million times more fun than I ever imagined. So, thank you.

I'm already working on recipes for the New Year, including finally figuring out what to do with spaghetti squash, a killer lasagna, and perhaps some cocktail recipes? In the meantime, I'll finish my second year of law school, get married, start an incredible summer job, and start my third year of law school/prep for the bar exam.

2013 is going to be a great one.

Thank you again for reading and all the support. You are all the best!

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