Curried Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Cilantro Yogurt

That’s right folks – I’m back with another vegetarian meal. Who am I?! I’m usually the person who wants meat with every meal, but lately I’ve found a new appreciation for turning a somewhat “boring” meal into something that’s worthy to stand up to it’s slow-roasted-meat contenders. 

Thomas and I are trying to eat hardly any meat through out the week and on the weekends we’ll splurge a little. Last Saturday we made braised lamb ragu pasta – literally the mack daddy of all Fall/Winter comfort food.  Sorry for the meat tangent, that dish is coming to the blog soon – Right now we’re talking SWEET POTATOES. 

I know, this could teeter on the boring side right? Not these babies! I was shocked how tasty they turned out! You know me, I love anything with curry and coconut milk. This meal is so easy, cheap, extremely filling, and mind-blowingly delicious for his simple it is. 

Honestly, you could be super lazy like me sometimes and pop your sweet potatoes in the microwave. Then it’s literally done in less than 15 minutes or however long it takes your quinoa to cook. Weeknight meal certified 👌🏻

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Curried Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
+ Avocado cilantro Yogurt

Ingredients

– 4 sweet potatoes
– Olive oil
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 small jalapeño, deseeded and minced (for optional heat)
– 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
– 1 can coconut milk (1/4 cup reserved)
– 1-2 tablespoons of curry powder
– 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
– Pepper to taste
– 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Avocado Cilantro Yogurt
– 1 ripe avocado
– 5.3 oz (150g) container of plain greek yogurt
-1/4 cup coconut milk
– juice of 1/2 a lime
– 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
– olive oil for blending
– 1 teaspoon of salt – more to taste
 

What to do

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F (190°C) OR use the microwave!

2) Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes. With a fork, pierce the sweet potatoes all over; place on foil and bake until tender, 45-60 minutes. If you’re going the microwave route (while is a lot quicker), pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes, turning once halfway through. 

3) While the potatoes are baking, prep the filling.

4) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a sauce pot then add the jalapeño . Saute for one minute then add the minced garlic and the quinoa. Toast the quinoa for a minute or two and then add the curry powder and stir to coat.
5) Add the coconut milk keeping 1/4 reserved, and then add 1/4 cup of water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer covered for 15 minutes.
6) Stir in the chickpeas and remove from heat. 
7) Once the potatoes are out of the oven and cooled enough to handle, gently scoop out the soft  flesh of the sweet potatoes, trying to keep the skin intact. It’s ok if you don’t get it all out.
8) Add the potato flesh to the quinoa mixture and stir well to combined.
9) Spoon the quinoa mixture back into the potato skins until well stuffed and place back in the oven at 400 F for 10 minutes. You may have some filling left over, so either pile it high or save it for later!
10) In a small blender, blend together half the avocado, yogurt, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup cilantro, juice of 1/2 a lime, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest and a good pinch of salt. If the mixture is too thick, add in a little olive oil or water. Adjust the seasonings, lime juice, salt, cilantro to your liking. 
11) Serve potatoes with avocado cilantro sauce, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. 

Enjoy! xo