I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
I have a theory – My mom ate plenty of sweet potatoes when I was still in her womb. Why do I believe this? Because I never tire of them 🙂 (you can read more about the development of childhood preferences here). Both my mom and I continue to consume them every single day. Nope! Not exaggerating. I normally roast a whole bunch on Sunday and snack on them throughout the week.
So when I heard there was a new variety in town, I had to know everything about it bc I’m nosy intrigued.
Ta-da! (insert spirit fingers) I introduce you to California sweetpotatoes! And yes, it’s supposed to be one word to help distinguish them from all the other spuds out there. So how are they different? I’m glad you asked. These California sweetpotatoes are:
- grown in soft sand and and are hand sorted. I was pleasantly surprised by the minimal scarring and scratching. I oftentimes peel the skin or refuse to eat it bc it looks so…unappetizing. Not the case with these beauties.
- are a “nutrition bang for the calorie buck!” They have 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and 105 calories in 1 medium sweetpotato.
- provide vitamin C and more than a day’s worth of vitamin A
- are available all-year round! That’s music to my ears.
For the longest time, I believed that sweetpotatoes and yams were interchangeable. But now I know that sweetpotatoes are:
- sweet and moist while yams are dry and starchy
- grown in the U.S while yams are imported from the Caribbean
There are 3 different varieties of California sweetpotatoes. The orange ones you see above are called the Covington and they are great for mashing or roasting. The description doesn’t lie! They were the sweetest and had the most orange flesh that I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen plenty. O’Henry has a pale copper color and looks similar to a regular potato. The white flesh is sweet and creamy which makes it perfect for soups and stews. And finally, Diane flaunts its red or garnet color and is perfect in dishes that need a hand in the color department.
If you’re like me, there’s no such thing as too many sweetpotato recipes. So today, I’d like to add one more to the list. May I interest you in trying some Loaded Southwestern Quinoa Sweetpotatoes?
First, I reluctantly pierced some holes into my perfect beauties and baked them in a 400°F oven for about 45 minutes. When there was 10 min left on the clock, I prepared the Southwestern Quinoa filling. I used a combination of both white and red quinoa. This was a compromise between my husband and me. I like the nuttier, earthier flavor and the more toothsome bite of the red while Hungryman likes his milder white. We were both happy ;).
The filling came together so quickly! Into the bowl went cooked quinoa, leftover rotisserie chicken (you can leave this out and perhaps add more beans if you want to make this vegetarian), corn, beans and Rotel that have been drained, cumin, lime juice, s&p. Then came the star of the dish..the sweetpotatoes.
On a side note, the recipe makes a ton of filling. I stuffed 4 sweetpotatoes and saved the rest to add to salads or to enjoy as is throughout the week. Otherwise, it should stuff about 8-10 sweetpotatoes.
Once they were ready (I kindly gave the job of splitting them open while they were still piping hot to Hungryman. From his reaction, I highly recommend you wait for several minutes before completing this step ;)), it was time to load them up! I topped them with cheese and back in the oven they went.
I sprinkled on some fresh cilantro and hurriedly sought the assistance of my fork. The sweetness from the sweetpotatoes really contrasted all that was going on in the filling…in a good way. It balanced the spicy and savory components while blending well with the earthy quinoa. You know what I’ll be gladly eating the rest of the week ;). A perfect recipe for the autumn season. Hope you’ll give it a try!
Ingredients
- 8 sweetpotatoes washed & scrubbed
- 1 cup quinoa I used 1/2 cup white & 1/2 cup red
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 15 oz can no sodium added black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 10 oz can Rotel (diced tomatoes w/ lime juice & cilantro) or favorite salsa
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
- 1 Tbs fresh lime juice
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
- Cilantro for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Pierce sweetpotatoes with fork and wrap individually in foil. Bake for 45-50 min, or until fork tender.
- In the meanwhile, cook quinoa. Once cooked, add to large mixing bowl along with rest of ingredients, except for cheese and cilantro.
- Once potatoes are done, take them out of the oven and wait until they cool slightly, about 5 minutes. (leave the oven on). Slice in half lengthwise and stuff with generous amount of quinoa filling. Top with cheese and place back in the oven and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
- Top with cilantro and more lime juice, if you'd like, and dig in!
This looks delicious! The hubby is not a picky eater but sweet potatoes (and most squashes) are his only hated foods. I wish I could make stuff like this all the time, but I’ll just have to make it sometime when he’s not home! Thanks Min!
Haha! Tim is not a fan of sweet potatoes either, but since he sees them all the time (I seriously eat them everyday), he is opening up to them more. You should try too. It’s never fun to eat them in secret…or is it? 😉
This filling looks so incredible!
It is delicious! Since my husband isn’t super crazy about sweet potatoes (yay more for me!), he’s been enjoying the filling with some spinach this week. I’d much rather eat it with my fav orange vegetable 😉
Yum! I love sweetpotatoes, and I love quinoa! Delicious!
I am now officially ready for dinner number 2-yum!! Lots of great flavors going in here, but looks simple enough for as easy mid-week meal. Win, win Min! 🙂
Haha! That rhymes ;).
Oh my goodness, I could climb into the screen and eat these!! You’ve taken so many of my favourite ingredients and combined them 😀
Wow, all the links to sweet potato recipes are making me so hungry!! Yours looks so delicious and hearty 🙂 I’m a big fan of sweet potatoes as well. We have a purple variety called Okinawan sweet potato that I really like, it’s starchy and really good with just a sprinkling of salt. I like your idea of baking up a bunch so you have them to snack on the whole week! Hope you are having a good start to your week, Min! I’ve been so exhausted for the past month or so…we have been having a rough time with Malia’s transition to a new preschool (it has caused us a surprising amount of anxiety and heartache), but things are starting to look up, so we are thankful and taking it day by day 🙂
I know! There are soo many recipes from the other members that I want to try! Ooh..I’m familiar with the purple variety!!! it tastes more like chestnut and honey, no? I’m so sorry to hear that Malia’s been having such a hard time adjusting to the new preschool. Wow…preschool…She’s growing up so fast! Give her a huge hug and a kiss for me and stay strong, Maura! I wish I had some kind of parenting advice to offer, but as you know, I’m clueless in that department. However, I’m all ears so let’s talk soon! ;).
yum!! definitely want to make a veg version
Min! Can’t believe you eat sweet potatoes everyday! and i didn’t know there were such a wide variety of sweet potatoes 🙂 and, you’re amazing at sneaking quinoa into so many recipes! Love it! xoxo, felicia
Love your variation on the sweetpotato here – I just want to jump into that photo. And who know you ate them everyday so this ReDux contest was right up your alley!
I didn’t know the real difference between sweet potatoes and yams. I definitely like sweet potatoes more and your recipe looks fantastic. Good luck and thanks for sharing it with us on foodie friday.
Mm, I just had a southwestern salad for lunch, and this looks so good! Thank you for sharing it on Foodie Friday
Wow! You love sweetpotatoes even more than me! (:
And I love your kind spirit …and the reluctance with which you pierced the sweetpotatoes! (: Great idea to add quinoa to this yummy dish!
Yes yes! I gotta have my sweet potatoes! They are my go-to snack.
hehe..yes indeed…I really didn’t want to hurt them. They were so…beautiful!
Coming over from The Pin Junkie. Hubby is challenging me to find quinoa recipes I’ll actually eat. We also have a ton of sweet potatoes in the house that need to be eaten. This recipe fits the bill! Pinning!
Hi Scarlett! Yay! What a wonderful challenge by the husband..I wonder if he saw the commercial where the guys that are tailgating say, “it’s quin-o-h.” Haha or have you guys seen it? so funny! Anyway, hope you enjoy this recipe!
Just wanted you to know that your recipe is being featured today on Foodie Friday. Drop by and get your featured button. I will be pinning and tweeting your recipe this week too.
These look delicious and a nice change for the mexican lovers. Thanks for sharing with us.
It sure is! Mexican food can be healthy ;). Thank you for stopping by, Mandi!
Great recipe and I always love sweet potatoes and never get tired of them. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog Hop. Have a healthy wonderful day!
This recipe sounds great, but you may want to change the prep time from 20 hours to minutes, unless I’m missing something.
Oh my goodness! Thank you, Linda! Just fixed it ;).
Oh my all those recipes, love your post, pinned, thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays, please join us again tonight.