Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos with Orange Ginger Slaw

About a year ago, I watched the movie Forks Over Knives (see trailer here) when my friend Terri suggested it to me. The movie focuses on eating more of a plant-based diet and less processed foods and meats. It doesn't say to cut out meat completely, it just talks about the benefits of eating more vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, etc. I found a recipe on Pinterest for Sweet Potato Tacos and thought it would be a good one to try for a vegetarian meal. The bonus is that I absolutely LOVE tacos. 

When we were making these back in Vancouver, we were making our own corn tortilla's from scratch. Our friend Amy bought us a tortilla press (you can get them off Amazon really cheap) and we loved making them ourselves. Since we haven't found somewhere close by to purchase Masa (corn meal), we have been buying them for now. 

The real name for the recipe didn't fit into the title, so below you will see what is involved. Feel free to modify as you see fit but I suggest you try this one out first :)

1. Cumin Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2. Orange Ginger Slaw
3. Spicy Guacamole
4. Mango/Mint Yogurt
5. Corn Tortillas

You can make all of the above parts ahead of time. The only one that tastes better right before eating is the sweet potatoes. The rest can be done the day before or earlier in the day if you are having a dinner party!

Salivating yet? Here are the ingredients for each part of the tacos... 

Sweet Potato:

• 1 large sweet potato, cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt/pepper to taste

Toss sweet potato cubes in olive oil and lay on baking sheet and then sprinkle with cumin. Roast at 350F until tender. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 

Orange/Ginger Slaw:

• 1 small red cabbage, diced finely
• 1 large carrot (grated)
• 1 tsp ginger (grated)
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 fresh lime, juiced
• 1/2 fresh orange, juiced
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Mix cabbage, carrot, ginger and green onions in large bowl until fully combined. In a small dish mix remaining ingredients for sauce. Coat the slaw with sauce and mix through. 

Spicy Guacamole:

• 1 Avocado, mashed
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (I like cherry tomatoes in guac)
• Handful of cilantro
• 1/2 fresh lime
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp diced chili (if you like it hot) or chili flakes
• Salt/pepper to taste

Add avocado into bowl and mash with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix. If you are storing in fridge for later, make sure to put cling wrap on top of guac so it touches it. This will help you avoid the brown crust of death. Sorry that was dramatic... but it does really suck when it goes brown. 

Mango/Mint Yogurt:

• 1 cup natural Greek yogurt
• 1/4 mango (about 1 slice)
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 fresh lime, juiced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Add all ingredients to small bowl and mix through. I used a hand mixer blender thingie like this to get the right consistency. You can also throw into a blender but that's a bit messy. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. It tastes the best when it is in fridge overnight. 

Corn Tortillas:

• 10-12 corn tortillas

I bought these from grocery store and heated them up right before we ate. 

ENJOY! 

Adapted from Baba Ganuj's Blog

Sweet Potato & Curry Hummus

I'm currently "in-between" jobs in Australia and spending a great deal of time in the kitchen. We have been hitting up the farmer's markets and last week got a giant bag of sweet potato's for $2. (I should probably mention it was actually my boyfriend's parents who got them while we were at the beach... haha). So I went onto Pinterest earlier this week and searched for anything with sweet potatoes... I found lots of great stuff but I wanted something healthy so I chose to make the hummus.

There were tons of great recipes so I used a combination of a few of them. Hummus is great because you start with a can of chickpeas and then add pretty much anything you like! Garlic, lemon and tahini seem to be a good base with the chickpeas and then add anything else! I'm hoping to try a few more varieties next week too!

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (15oz)
• 1 roasted sweet potato
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (roasted)
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder (I used Madras Curry Powder)
• dash of cayenne pepper
• salt/pepper to taste
• Crushed cashews for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Place 1 sweet potato on cooking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. You can also roast the garlic at this time.
3. Let sweet potato cool and then peel off skin and cut into pieces.
4. Place all ingredients (except water) into food processor and mix on low.
5. Slowly add the water a little bit at a time until it is the consistency you want.
6. Add crushed cashews for garnish.
7. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.

Sweet Potato Mash and a Jerk

Tonight we made Jamaican Jerk chicken with sweet potato mash and grilled brussels sprouts. I had this sweet potato mash for Thanksgiving this year and absolutely loved it. And since we get a very mild winter in Vancouver, it is easy to use the barbecue all year round. The spicy chicken and winter vegetables made for a great January meal.

My brother Steve, who is a great cook, taught me how to make these brussel sprouts a few years ago. Since then, I make them all the time. With that added quick sear, it is delicious!

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Hot Sauce to taste
Jamaican Jerk Spice
Marinade the chicken for 1-2 hours with the above ingredients. Grill on the barbecue while coating with leftover marinade a few times. Add more Jamaican Jerk Spice directly on chicken while on barbecue.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Mash:
2-3 Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp 1% Milk
Salt/Pepper to taste
Peel potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks. Microwave in water for about 5-7 minutes. Drizzle with lime and honey and bake on cookie sheet in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes or until soft. Place soft potatoes in a sauce pan and add remaining ingredients. Heat on low until smooth.

Ingredients for Brussels Sprouts:

10-20 Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
Boil Brussels Sprouts in a pot for 5-7 min until mostly cooked through. Strain and let cool for 5 min. Slice in half all the sprouts in half. Heat pan on med and drizzle with olive oil. When pan is hot, add sprouts (flat side down) to pan to sear. Let each one sear for approx 2 min or until golden brown. Remove and place on plate. Add salt and pepper to taste.