What's Cookin'?

I have rethought my What's Cookin' posts.  They will no longer be done every Sunday.  While Sunday is still my primary cooking and meal prep day, sometimes I am just too busy to get the actual post done on Sunday and sometimes (maybe usually), when I am able to get it done on Sunday, it's not until way late in the evening before I get it posted.  So, I'm taking the stress of a deadline off the table.  Also, I may not post every week.  If I only cook one thing on a particular week, I may wait until the following week to post what I cooked.  Also, as I'm sure you saw, I redid the logo for these posts.

In this installment of What's Cookin' I have 2 dishes that can be served in the portions listed (1 whole sweet potato or 1 whole avocado) to be used as a main dish, or they can be halved and used as a side dish or a snack.  I made both of these dishes for my lunches last week and this week.


MEDITERRANEAN BAKED SWEET POTATOES

I went into this recipe a bit skeptical.  I wasn't sure that the mix of ingredients would actually be palatable to me.  After I made it and ate it the first time, I was hooked.  This dish is delicious!  I will most likely make it again!

Ingredients:
• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 15oz can no salt added chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika

Garlic Herb Sauce:
• 1/2 cup hummus (I used plain traditional hummus)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4-1 tsp dried dill (or 2-3 tsp fresh)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• water or unsweetened almond milk to thin

Toppings: (optional)
• 1/4 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• chili garlic sauce

Directions:
• preheat oven to 400° and line a large baking sheet with foil
• rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. 
• toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
• rub the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and place face down on the same baking sheet (or another sheet, depending on size)
• while the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are baking/roasting (for approx. 30 minutes), prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water or almond milk to thin so it's pourable.  taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  add more garlic for more zing, salt for savoriness, lemon juice for freshness, and/or dill for a more intense herb flavor.  I didn't add any extra to mine.
• if you don't have hummus, tahini will make a great base substitution for the sauce, just adjust the seasonings to accommodate the lack of flavor tahini provides.
• once sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown, remove from oven.
• for serving, flip potatoes flesh side up and smash down the insides a bit.  then top with chickpeas, sauce and parsley-tomato garnish

NOTE: I just removed the skins from the sweet potatoes and smashed them, then just topped them with the parsley-tomato mix and the sauce.  maybe not as fancy looking, but ate just fine.

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BLACK BEAN STUFFED AVOCADOS

I found a big stash of stuffed avocado recipes on the internet and will be working my way through each one and finding my favorites.

Ingredients:
• 4 large ripe avocados
• 1 15oz can reduced sodium black beans
• 2 tbsp butter (I used Country Crock Light)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 batch pico de gallo (I just went to Walmart and bought premade pico)
• Laughing Cow Queso Fresco with Chipotle
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
• split your avocados in half & remove pits
• in a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  add the onion and garlic and saute until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
• add the beans, water, oregano, and season with salt and pepper.  bring to a boil.  reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until most of the water has been cooked out.
• fill each avocado with beans and top with pico de gallo and one wedge of the Laughing Cow queso fresco.
• if desired, serve with warm tortillas (NOTE: tortillas are not included in the nutrition info I am providing)