Feed Your Body Friday: Pecan & Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This Pecan and Chickpeas Stuffed Sweet Potato recipe is the perfect wintery comfort dish, that also doubles as a vegan recipe. In addition, it’s a super fast and easy meal to prepare.

Did you know that sweet potato contains Starch, Antioxidants, Copper, Manganese, Carotene (helps with complexion), Vitamin A, B, C, and E?

This combination of sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and quinoa isn’t just tasty, it’s also incredibly healthy. Also, I can guarantee making a meal like this, which combines all three, will delight everyone who is lucky enough to eat one.

Without further do let make this delicious recipe… my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Pecan & Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, sliced in half
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 white onion, chopped, finely
• 1 bell pepper, chopped finely
• 1 apple, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3/4 can chickpeas, drained and patted dry.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• Bunch of basil finely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place the sweet potatoes halves on a baking pan face down.
3. Place pan with sweet potatoes on it in the oven for 30 minutes, or until soft.
4. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, let them cool and reserve.
   
5. In a pan on the stove, add the olive oil, garlic and onion cook for 30 seconds on medium-high heat.
6. After 30 seconds, add the bell pepper, apple, spices (paprika, cumin, cloves), and lemon juice to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Turn your attention back to the sweet potatoes: remove a 1/4 cup of soft sweet potato flesh (you can add more if you’d like) and add it to the chickpea mixture, mix well.
8. Put the chickpea/sweet potato mixture back onto the sweet potato half.
9. Top with pomegranate seeds and basil, as desired.
10. Enjoy!

I would recommend half a sweet potato per person because it’s pretty filling especially because the chickpeas are a source of vegetable protein that will leave you full. You can eat the potato skin if you’d like but it is entirely up to the person who is eating it.

Cooking tip: Sweet potato is more fragile than the potato so it can be kept one week to 10 days in a cool and dry place, protected from the light. It’s best not to refrigerate this vegetable unless it is cooked to avoid a change of texture.

Do you love chickpeas? Try this Next: Openface Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe or if you need dessert, why not try: 3 Must-Bake Holiday Cookies