Spicy Sweet Potato Bean Bake!

          Sweet Potatoes or White Potatoes?

          One of my favorite dishes during the holidays is sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows. I rarely feel healthy when scarfing down my second helping, but did you know that sweet potatoes have many health benefits? According to the Cleveland Clinic when choosing between a white potato or a sweet potato, you should choose the sweet potato for more nutritional value. An article on ClevelandClinic.org says, "both spuds pack a powerful nutritional punch. Yet sweet potatoes provide 400% of your daily requirement of vitamin A. They also have more vitamin C, fewer calories, more fiber and fewer total carbs than white potatoes, despite more sugar."Click here to read article!

          Try making this sweet potato recipe to reap all the benefits of the nutritional root! It is slightly healthier than the marshmallow sweet potatoes we should save as a holiday treat!

Spicy Sweet Potato Bean Bake!

Ingredients:

1 C uncooked quinoa

3 medium sweet potatoes

15 ounces canned black beans (choose the low sodium or no salt added)

15 ounces canned sweet corn (choose the low sodium or no salt added)

1 red bell pepper

3 carrots

1 medium sized sweet onion

1 1/2 C Colby Jack shredded cheese

15 ounce jar medium salsa

1/2 t cumin (You can add more if you want a spicier dish. I suggest maybe adding some chili powder also!)

Instructions:

Step #1: Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 by 13 glass pan and set aside.

Step #2: Follow directions on quinoa package to cook quinoa. Remember you can cook quinoa in a rice cooker for a hassle free time!

Step #3: Wash and scrub sweet potatoes. Keeping the skin on, to retain the spud's fiber content, use a mandolin or a cheese grater to shred sweet potatoes. Choose a large bowl to put the shredded sweet potato in. 

Step#4: Rinse canned black beans and canned sweet corn thoroughly using a strainer. Then, add beans and corn to sweet potato.

Step #5: Next, chop onion, red bell pepper and carrots.

Step #6: Now, add onion, red bell pepper, carrots, salsa, cumin and cooked quinoa to mixture.

Step #7: Then, pack mixture into greased 9 by 13 pan and top with Colby Jack cheese. Place pan in heated oven for 45-50 minutes.

Step #8: Before removing pan from oven, make sure that is is bubbling and cheese is melted. 

Step #9: Serve dish with fresh fruit, guacamole and chips. I suggest bean chips, for a healthier, higher protein and higher fiber option than regular tortilla chips. My favorite brand is Beanitos. Click here to visit the Beanitos website.

Thank you for reading Hatching Healthy Habits! Please visit my blog again soon!

-Claire Trotter (aka ALH Wellness Center's Summer Intern)