Last month I joined forces with my pals at Pure Kitchen, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant here in Ottawa, to create a delicious dish that would showcase their grab-n-go ranch dressing. I received tons of great feedback from people who've tried the recipe and I'm excited to share it with you! Scroll down to get the full scoop. 

TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Yields 3 - 4 servings

Ingredients: 

3 small to medium sized sweet potatoes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard (red, green, or rainbow), stems & leaves remove, finely chopped
1 red onion, small dice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1 cup black beans (or other canned/cooked bean of choice)
Sea salt & black pepper
Lacto-fermented sauerkraut, for garnish
Micro greens of your choice, for garnish
Pure Kitchen's Ranch Dressing or store bought or homemade dressing of your choice  (if you will be DIY'ing, I recommend my Buddha Bowl tahini dressing)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 F. On a baking sheet, bake the sweet potatoes, whole, for about 30 minutes, or until soft enough to easily pierce the flesh with a fork. Cut the potatoes in half, length-wise, and let  them cool slightly. 

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the onions, chard stems and a big pinch of sea salt and sauté for a few minutes. When the onions are translucent, stir in the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the chard leaves. Cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until the chard is just softened, but not browned. Set aside in a bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the potatoes, leaving enough for the skin to hold its boat shape. Put the scooped flesh into the bowl with the chard. Add the hemp hearts and mix thoroughly, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Refill the sweet potato skins with the chard mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

To serve: Add two sweet potato halves to a plate, sprinkle with approximately 1/3 cup beans, and garnish with sauerkraut and micro greens.  Add a big drizzle of either the Pure Kitchen ranch dressing or a dressing of your choice. Enjoy! 

If you enjoyed the recipe I shared above be sure to check out my Plant-Based Breakthrough program, which is a crash course in plant-based health, nutrition, and meal planning. For details about the program click here. You can also join the Plant-Based Breakthrough Community on Facebook where I share recipes, inspiration, and information on plant-based nutrition.