Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoe

I am going down the rabbit hole with meatless eating this month – and my challenge is to make sure I am still hitting my protein targets (I am now targeting to eat a minimum of 140 g of protein a day.) I want to keep my protein high while staying with in my fat targets which can be tricky 😉 One food I have found I love that helps in that is TVP – I have been experimenting adding it to a variety of recipes – this week my Mexican Quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes.

There are many ways to get your protein in, but I do enjoy textured Vegetable protein (in moderation) as a way to add in some extra protein 🙂 TVP is a more processed version of soy products, but also very nice to add to recipes that do contain ground meat. Use sparingly but enjoy 🙂

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time 5 min

Cook Time 40 min

Total Time 45 min

Servings 4

Ingredients

1. 2 large sweet potatoes
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. 1/4 cup chopped red onion
4. 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
5. 1/2 cup frozen corn
6. 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
7. 1 cup canned black beans drained & rinsed
8. 1 tablespoon chili powder
9. 1 teaspoon cumin
10. 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11. Sea salt to taste
12. 1/2 cup TVP
13. 1 tbsp taco seasoning

To garnish:

12. 1 avocado mashed
13. Tahini
14. Hot sauce
15. Chopped cilantro

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and prick with a fork. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and pepper and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

** this is where I deviated from the original recipe and add a bit of TVP – once the onions and peppers are sauteed. Add in 1/2 cup TVP, 1 cup boiling water and 1 tbsp of taco seasoning. Allow it to cook for 2 -3 minutes (until all the liquid is absorbed).

Add corn, quinoa, black beans and spices and cook 2 – 3 more minutes.

When sweet potatoes are tender (can be pierced with a fork), remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice in half and place each half on a plate. Fluff the sweet potato. Top with quinoa mixture, avocado and a drizzle of both tahini and hot sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of cilantro and enjoy!

Adapted from the original recipe.

Ratings

Chuck’s Taste Rating: Has not tasted it yet 

Jess’s Taste Rating: 

Spoonie Rating (number of energy spoons to make it – 1 to 5) :