Roasted Sweet Potato Taco Salad with Avocado Creme

Nicole Hood — Tue, 06 May 2014 03:36:00 +0000

Here’s a fun recipe for Cinco de Mayo and Meatless Monday!

Even though I am not eating vegetarian any more I still try to make a vegetarian dinner for my family once or twice a week. We eat roasted veggies often along with Mexican inspired dishes so I thought I would combine the two and create a vegetarian Roasted Sweet Potato Taco Salad with Avocado Crème. It came out better than expected and is now a family fave!

Try it for your next Meatless Monday.

Check out my tips on : How To Roasted Veggies

Here are two of my favorite Cinco de Mayo enchilada recipes:
Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Enchiladas
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Roasted Sweet Potato Taco Salad with Avocado Crème

Makes 2 entrée salads

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
1/2 Vidalia or large yellow onion sliced
1 cup Spanish or Mexican rice cooked
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp chili powder separated
1 bag salad lettuce
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 avocado sliced
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp lime juice
salt/pepper to taste
olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place sweet potatoes and onions on a baking sheet.
Toss with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp chili powder.
Roast for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables or fork tender, tossing once in between.
Heat black beans in a saucepan over medium until warmed. Season with cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and cayenne. Adjust according to your preferred spice level.
In a food processor, add avocado and sour cream. Pulse until blended.
Add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
To plate: add lettuce to a plate.
Top with rice and seasoned black beans.
Add roasted veggies then shredded cheese and top with avocado crème.

I made a batch of flavor packed Spanish rice and used about 1 cup for the taco salads and saved the remaining for leftovers.

Any roasted veggies would be delish in this salad but I prefer sweet, crunchy onions and tasty (and filling) cubed sweet potatoes.

Peppers, asparagus, corn, and cauliflower would all be delicious options too.

I prefer black beans over the traditional refried beans. Jazz them up with a spice blend of cumin, cayenne, and chili powder.

I use bagged salad lettuce to save time and usually have a couple in the fridge to throw together a salad for lunch or dinner in a flash!

For Avocado Crème: pulse together avocado, sour cream, lime juice, and salt and pepper in a food processor.

This simple recipe for avocado crème is fast and easy and I make it often for

nachos, enchiladas, and taco salads.

To plate: add lettuce to a plate. Top with rice and seasoned black beans. Add roasted veggies then shredded cheese and top with avocado creme.

I have made this recipe many times and every time I love it even more!

I am a big fan of roasted veggies like sweet potatoes and sweet onions and they make a delicious healthy substitute for the usual chicken or ground beef in a taco salad.

Bonus: leftovers for nachos the next day!

The post Roasted Sweet Potato Taco Salad with Avocado Creme appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Sweet & Sticky BBQ Ribs and Sweet Potato Fries

Nicole Hood — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:06:00 +0000

This being Super Bowl Sunday I knew I wanted to make something that we could eat with our hands, sitting in front of the TV, watching the big game. At first, I thought of the usual game day spread- hot wings, potato skins, chips and dips…but I wanted something a little out of the box today.

So for tonight’s menu I made:

Apricot Sweet & Sticky Ribs and Sweet Potato Fries.

This entire recipe is time consuming and involves boiling, grilling, and baking, but after one bite of these fall off the bone ribs you’ll know it’s worth it!

Thanks to my Uncle Mike for the original rib recipe!

I used Pork Bone In Country Style Ribs tonight but Baby Back Ribs are my favorite.

You need 2-3 pounds.

Place the ribs in boiling water.

Add 2 tbsp butter and a pinch of cinnamon and all spice.

Boil on low of 1 hour.

In a small saucepan, add 1/2 a jar of apricot preserves, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire, 1/2 cup honey (or sub. agave nectar) and a pinch each of cinnamon and all spice.

Cook over medium, simmering for 20 minutes.
Preheat grill.

Remove ribs from water and place on a plate.

Brush generously with apricot sauce.

Grill for 20 minutes, brushing with more sauce.

You can skip this step but I love the smokey flavor and crispy texture the grill gives the meat.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Sweet Potato Fries

I used 2 medium sweet potatoes and it made the huge mound of fries above!

Heat oil (peanut or canola) in a deep heavy bottom pot or countertop deep fryer to 365 degrees.

Slice fries into 1/4 inch thick sticks. I use my fry mandoline attachment.

Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes until crisp. Drain on a papertowel lined baking sheet.

Season with sea salt immediately. Serve hot.

Remove ribs from the grill to a large baking dish. Brush with remaining sauce

and bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour.

These Sweet & Sticky Ribs are lick your fingers good!

The sweet potato fries are the perfect crunchy addition to this mouth-watering meal.

Now we’re all set for the game! What tasty tidbits did you cook tonight?

Happy Cooking!

~Nicole

The post Sweet & Sticky BBQ Ribs and Sweet Potato Fries appeared first on For the Love of Food.

sweet potato Archives - For the Love of Food

Roasted Sweet Potato Taco Salad with Avocado Creme

Roasted Sweet Potato Taco Salad with Avocado Crème

Ingredients

Instructions

Sweet & Sticky BBQ Ribs and Sweet Potato Fries