Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potato

Warning! Seriously addictive Meat-Free-Monday deliciousness! This vegan meal-in-a-bowl ticks all the boxes- flavour and texture-wise! Sweet, savoury, tangy, fresh, smokey, creamy, a little bit cold, a little bit hot, a little crunchy and a little chewy all on a cloud of baked potato softness.

All the colours combine to bring you a dish that is as pretty as it is yummy. This is a "Must Try" winter comfort food without any of the guilt!

Throw some pomegranate kernels in there and serve for breakfast, serve with a a green salad for an impressive meal, or enjoy as-is for a super satisfying light-on-the-calories Buddah bowl style meal.

What You Need

• 4 medium (~140 g each) sweet potatoes*

• 1 425-g can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked (or regular) paprika

• 1 pinch sea salt or lemon juice (optional)

GARLIC HERB SAUCE**

• 60 g tahini (or hummus!)

• 1/2 medium lemon,

• 3/4-1 tsp dried dill

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1TBSP olive oil

• Water

• Sea salt to taste

TOPPINGS

• 45 g cherry tomatoes (diced)

• 15 g chopped parsley (minced)

• 30 ml lemon juice

• Chilli flakes to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 205 C and line a large baking sheet with foil.

• Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. This will speed cooking time. Otherwise leave whole and bake longer (approximately double the time (45 min – 1 hour).

• Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices. 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 baking sheet depending on size).

• While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water to thin so it’s pourable. Adjust seasonings to taste.

• Also prepare the parsley-tomato topping by tossing tomato and parsley with lemon juice and setting aside to marinate.

• Once sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown – roughly 25 minutes – remove from oven.

• For serving, flip potatoes flesh-side up and smash down the insides a little bit. Then top with chickpeas, garlic herb sauce and parsley-tomato salad. Serve immediately.

• Enjoy!

**The Garlic Herb sauce is similar to a Green Goddess dressing- try it on all kinds of dishes! Inspired by the Minimalist Baker