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As a food blogger I post 2 recipes a week, or about 8 recipes a month. Most of the time I don’t have much of an issue with coming up with enough recipe ideas. I get my inspiration for recipes from family, friends, cookbooks, restaurants, and other bloggers. The change of seasons calls for the use of a seasonal ingredient. Holidays beg for certain types of dishes to be made.
I keep my phone on me at all times to write down any visions of recipes that may come to me. Yet, with all of my insight for recipes I still get writer’s block. There are more times than I care to admit that I simply cannot think of a single thing to cook.
I may have ideas saved for spring-time, maybe a burger or a watermelon something or other, but both of those seem out of place in March. Especially in the Midwest. A watermelon would be tasteless this time of year.
Then, something amazing happens. I dream up a recipe that seems so illogical, so whacky that it just might work. That’s how these coconut quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes were born.
It all started with the idea of wanting to create a recipe that centered on sweet potatoes. I just loved my Greek Sweet Potato Boats, and needed another sweet potato meal.
I have kind of been obsessed with making Thai food lately. See examples 1 and 2. So, that started the frenzy of stuffing the orange dudes with something curried, maybe some curried crunch chickpeas. How about some curried ground chicken or turkey? Oooh, oooh and some slightly sweetened coconut quinoa too!
There HAS to be some sort of sauce to drizzle on top!
But what? A coconut curry sauce? A peanut sauce, perhaps? None of them sounded like they would fit quite right.
Then it hit me, cilantro lime cashew sauce!
I had made a recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, Pinch of Yum a few weeks ago. It was Lentil Curry Bowls with Cilantro Cashew Sauce. The entire dish was warming, hearty, and bursting with flavor. But this cilantro cashew sauce was outstanding. I knew it was the perfect sauce to top my sweet potato boats with!
As I was writing a rough outline of this sweet potato boat recipe I began to doubt myself, worrying that this recipe wouldn’t be very good. There are a lot of bold flavors that I am working with. Sweet potato, curry, coconut, lime and cilantro. Will they all get along?
There is only one way to find out. Make the recipe.
I am sure glad I did because it is very delightful. I may have even let out a groan of satisfaction and surprise as I was chewing. It’s a good thing I work out of the comfort of my own home or I might really embarrass myself.
I am also thankful that no one saw me almost drop my brand new baking sheet on the floor because I forgot to wear an oven mitt and burned my fingers. I’m real smooth.
So, what does this crazy dish taste like, you ask?
The tender, baked sweet potato boats are stuffed to the brim with salty, curried ground turkey and sweet coconut-y quinoa. The curried chickpeas add a satisfying crunch. Then there is the cilantro lime cashew sauce. It is packed full of cilantro, it is tangy, and it is velvety smooth and creamy from the cashews.
These coconut quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes with cilantro lime sauce are filling enough for a meal, or are fun enough for an appetizer. Plus, all of the ingredients, except the crunchy curried chickpeas, can be made ahead of time. Then all you need to do is heat the boats up in the oven the day of. That’s my kind of meal!
All of the flavors may sound a little crazy but trust me, they are perfect together. Sometimes you just need to stop doubting yourself and go with your gut and wonderful things can come of it! Can I get an Amen?!
Coconut Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Lime Sauce (GF)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 to 14 Potato Halves 1x
- Category: Entree, Appetizer
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
Description
This recipe is filling enough to serve as a meal and fun enough to serve as an appetizer. All of the ingredients, except for the curried crunchy chickpeas can be made ahead of time and re-heated in the oven the day of.
Ingredients
- FOR CRUNCHY CHICKPEAS:
- 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons grape seed oil
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- FOR SWEET POTATO BOATS:
- 6 to 7 small sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed (preferably organic to avoid pesticides)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (you could also use butter but I think coconut oil complements sweet potatoes well)
- Sea salt
- FOR COCONUT QUINOA:
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
- 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 to 3 tablespoons honey
- FOR CURRIED GROUND TURKEY:
- 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pound ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- Sea salt to taste
- FOR LIME CILANTRO CASHEW SAUCE:
- 3/4 cup unsalted raw cashews
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup filtered water
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (I use the stems as well as the leaves)
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- FOR CRUNCHY CHICKPEAS:
- Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel. Use the kitchen towel to thoroughly pat the chickpeas dry. You want to get them as dry as possible before moving on to the next step; otherwise they won’t crisp up.
- Place the chickpeas on a medium-sized rimmed baking sheet. Add the grape seed oil, curry powder, and salt. Stir to combine well. Spread the chickpeas out on the baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until they are crunchy. Make sure to stir them every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking and prevent burning.
- Allow the crunchy chickpeas to cool. Transfer them to a serving bowl and set aside until ready for serving.
- FOR SWEET POTATO BOATS:
- Trim off each end. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Brush the flesh of the sweet potatoes with half of the coconut oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Place them face down on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake them in the oven with the chickpeas.
- Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Remove and allow them to cool enough to handle.
- Using a spoon scoop out most of the sweet potato flesh leaving about ¼ inch of the flesh behind. Reserve the scooped out sweet potato flesh to use for mashed sweet potatoes or other recipes.
- Place the sweet potato boats back on the baking sheet and brush with the remainder of the coconut oil and sprinkle with more salt. Set them aside until they are ready to be stuffed.
- Do not turn the oven off.
- FOR COCONUT QUINOA:
- While the sweet potatoes are baking prepare the quinoa and the ground turkey.
- In a medium-sized sauce pan add the coconut milk, quinoa, salt, and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove the lid and reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat.
- Add the honey and stir to combine. Cover with the lid again and set aside.
- FOR CURRIED GROUND TURKEY:
- While the coconut quinoa is simmering cook the ground turkey.
- Heat a large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Heat the oil and sauté the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the turkey and crumble. Cook the turkey thoroughly.
- Add the water, curry powder, and salt. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, until the water has evaporated.
- Taste the turkey and adjust the seasonings. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- FOR CILANTRO LIME CASHEW SAUCE:
- While the sweet potato boats are heating up make the sauce.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree the sauce, scraping the sides as needed to get everything well incorporated.
- The sauce should be smooth and thick. The cashews thicken as they are pureed.
- Transfer to a serving bowl.
- FOR SERVING:
- Serve the sweet potato boats immediately. Have the serving bowls with the crunchy chickpeas and the cilantro lime sauce ready for drizzling, dipping, or topping.
- Leftover sweet potato boats reheat well in the oven or microwave. Store any leftover sauce in a separate container in the refrigerator. Store the chickpeas in an airtight container at room temperature (they lose their crunch a little when they are leftover).
- Enjoy any leftover coconut quinoa and curried ground turkey in other dishes or with the leftover sweet potato puree.
Notes
You could make all of the ingredients a day ahead of time and reheat the stuffed sweet potato boats in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through. The crunchy chickpeas, however are best eaten on the day they are made.
Cilantro cashew sauce slightly adapted from: Pinch of Yum
Coconut Quinoa adapted from: Bon Appetit
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