Sweet Potato Tacos || Guest Post

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Today, I’m excited to have Beth from Bake It + Make It with Beth doing a guest post on The Fig Tree for Vegan Tuesdays. She’s a girl after my own heart, as I’m a sucker for both sweet potatoes and Mexican flavours. Beth is a Marylander and lives with her husband Greg. She is currently going to school for her Masters in Elementary Education and Special Education. In addition to blogging, she enjoys sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and playing Scrabble with her hubby. She’s also incredibly sweet and it’s been a pleasure getting to know her through emails the past few weeks.
 Her blog is a wonderful space with a ton of delicious recipes. Be sure to check it out :) Out of curiosity, I asked Beth what inspired her to start a cooking blog.  I’m always interested in what inspires people to share their passion with others. Turns out she was volunteered to start a cooking blog for a start-up online newspaper. At first she was not too sure about running a cooking blog as she still felt like an amateur in the kitchen , but she soon found that she enjoyed blogging about food. After blogging for the paper, she started finding that there were some things that she wished she could do differently. For instance, she could not make decisions about layout or connect with other food bloggers around the world as much as she would have liked. So, she started her own blog! On her blog, you’ll find some healthy recipes, some indulgent recipes and many tasty treats. Beth says her blog is the best way to document the recipes she loves and a nice way to unwind and have fun.
And without further ado, here is Beth…
Last February, my co-workers and I won a Carnaval photo contest that was being sponsored by Paladar Restaurant. The special education team at Crofton Middle School received the most Facebook likes to win the contest! The prize was a $500.00 gift card to the restaurant. After winning the contest, I went there for dinner and I ordered the sweet potato tacos. They were pretty incredible! Since I had communicated with the PR/marketing manager after winning the contest, I contacted him to see if Paladar would be willing to share their recipe for the blog. And, they were nice enough to share! I have made these sweet potato tacos several times since then. It is a fairly healthy meal that everyone seems to enjoy (even kids)! If you cannot find tomatillos, you can used jarred tomatillo salsa with an extra squeeze of lime juice. Hearts of palm might also be hard to find, but they add a nice touch. They can be omitted from the recipe if you cannot find them. Enjoy!
Tomatillo Salsa Ingredients
  • 6 fresh tomatillos, husked
  • 1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 small red onion or 1 thinly sliced jalapeño pepper
  • juice of one lime
Sweet Potato Filling Ingredients
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 4 hearts of palm stalks from a can, cut lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 can of great northern beans (white beans)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
For Topping + Assembly
  • shredded red cabbage or other shredded cabbage mix
  • chopped chives
  • 8-6 inch soft shell tortillas
Method
1. Tomatillo Salsa: Place the tomatillos, cilantro, and onion (or jalapeno) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it becomes the consistency of a nice salsa. Pour into a bowl and add lime juice. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour for flavours to marinate together.
2. Preheat oven to 350’F.
3. In a bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, hearts of palm, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the potato mixture onto a foil-line baking sheet. Spread potatoes in an even layer and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
4. Put the remaining olive oil into a large skillet. Heat the oil over medium-low heat, then add the cooked potatoes and bean in the skillet. Add in a little salt, pepper and the ground cinnamon. Sauté until the beans are warmed through. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 25 to 30 seconds on low.
5. Have fun building your own tacos. Put the sweet potato mixture in the middle of the tortilla, top with cabbage, chives, and tomatillo salsa. Fold and enjoy!

Cuteness Overload

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In my last post, Crunchy Asian Quinoa Salad, I mentioned I had spent the afternoon playing with my sister’s new puppy Maui. She’s an adorable 9 week old Golden Doodle and I love her to bits. I’m one proud auntie! And since I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like an adorable puppy, I thought I would share some pictures :) Happy Sunday! xo

Crunchy Asian Quinoa Salad

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Hello! Hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday afternoon :) And for those of you in Eastern Canada and the North-Eastern US, I hope you have enjoyed your snowy weekend and were able to dig yourselves out okay. We’ve had a more-than-usual amount of snow this year as well, so I feel your pain. Although, that being said, we did not get it all at once! :)

This afternoon, I went to play with my sister’s brand new puppy Maui out in the snow. Maui is an adorable little 9 week old Golden Doodle and I’m utterly smitten with her! She was hilarious running around in the snow today! She’s still not quite sure what to think about it all just yet. It was fun watching her explore and discover things. And after she tired herself out, she cuddled with me. It’s official – puppy cuddles are the best thing ever.

And what does this have to do with this salad? Not much really! Although, running after a puppy for a few hours left me so tired and so very hungry! So I came home and whipped up this delicious salad to quell my appetite. 

What makes this salad extra special is that the quinoa is cooked in a broth flavoured with fresh ginger, orange zest and orange juice. Add in some delicious crunchy vegetables, some peanuts and savoury dressing with sesame oil and you have one incredibly satisfying lunch. I’m glad I made a large batch, as now I have an awesome lunch to look forward to tomorrow. Something to make Monday a little more bearable, hey?

Wishing you a great start-to-your week! Tuesday, I have an awesome guest post that I cannot wait to share. And starting on Friday, I have a week-long special feature planned. Chat soon! xo
Ingredients
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
  • 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, well rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon of freshly grated orange peel
  • juice of one small orange
  • 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon of honey (or agave)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup of trimmed sugar snap peas; halved
  • 2 cups of broccoli slaw (shredded broccoli, red cabbage and carrots)
  • 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced scallions
  • 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon of black or white sesame seeds


Method

1. Place the vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, grated orange rind, orange juice and rinsed quinoa in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook the quinoa for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the rice wine vinegar, other tablespoon of grated ginger, canola oil, sesame oil, honey and salt in a small glass jar or container. Shake to combine.

3. After the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, turn off the heat.  Toss in the sugar snap peas, broccoli slaw and red pepper. Return lid to pot and allow the veggies to steam with the quinoa for 5 minutes. Remove lid and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. Toss the quinoa mixture with the salad dressing. Add in the dry roasted peanuts. Garnish the salad with fresh cilantro (or parsley), scallions and sesame seeds.

Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: loosely adapted from weightwatchers.ca