Savory Stuffed Japanese Sweet Potatoes

If you are looking for a super satisfying, nutritious and comforting meal, then might I suggest a Japanese sweet potato stuffed with all the beans? Sure, you can use a regular sweet potato, but there is something about a Japanese sweet potato with these exact fillings that is just so incredible.

If you have never had a Japanese sweet potato, then I highly recommend you try them. They are, by far, my very favorite food (yes, even more than figs!). I love them because when you bake them whole, the texture of the inside is just so smooth and creamy and has a mild, yet slightly sweet taste to it. Yet when you cut them up and bake them, they come out nice and firm, which is just perfect for making sweet potato fries. They honestly can’t be beat in my book. And no, these are not the same as white sweet potatoes or purple sweet potatoes — Japanese sweet potatoes are their own special variety.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 2 large Japanese sweet potatoes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 can or 6 oz. container of vegan baked beans (I used Pacific brand)
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• handful of arugula
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1-2 tsps hemp seeds, optional

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Wash sweet potatoes, keeping the skin on. Pat dry and pierce with a fork around the sides. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes, or more if needed, until insides are soft.
3. While potatoes are baking, drain chickpeas and place in a bowl. Coat the chickpeas with the sriracha, maple syrup and garlic powder. Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and set aside to cool.
5. Lower oven temperature to 375°F and place chickpeas in the oven. Roast chickpeas for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout. Feel free to add more sriracha and/or maple syrup if you would like.
6. Heat vegan baked beans either on the stove or in the microwave and set aside.
7. Once the chickpeas are done roasting, remove them from the oven. Slice open the sweet potatoes and fill one with the roasted chickpeas (feel free to add more sriracha as I did in the photo) and the other with baked beans. Top with freshly-ground black pepper, salt and hemp seeds if desired.
8. Enjoy!