A Little Variety is the Spice of Life

The other day I looked around my kitchen and felt as though I had random ingredients strowed about. I had a half can of black beans, a half jar of tomato sauce, about 2 tbsp of salsa, and a half bag of spinach left. I needed to use these items up quick or they'd have to be tossed. (There is absolutely no tossing of anything in my house if possible. I don't believe in waste!) What I decided to do was to slightly alter the sweet potato recipe (that I just posted about recently) and in addition add a side of spinach.

I put the sweet potato in the oven to bake (at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes.) I wasn't in the mood for a microwaved potato. If you don't already know this, there is definitely a texture difference with microwaving versus baking. The skin of the sweet potato is crunchy and fabulous after begin baked. And the best part about baking a sweet potato is the natural caramelization that occurs. A sprinkle of sweetness without added table sugar! YAY!

About 20 minutes before the potato would be done, I minced up 4 cloves of garlic (Yes. I love garlic.) and the red onion I had leftover. I sauteed that in a frying pan with olive oil. After a few minutes, I added the raw, fresh spinach and cooked until soft.




About 5 minutes before the potato would be done and while the spinach was sauteing, I poured the rest of the beans, the salsa, a splash of the tomato sauce and a few sprinkles of cumin into a small pot. I heated it until warm (and with a gas stove that is less than 5 minutes!!)


After approximately 60 minutes, the sweet potato was fully cooked. I took it out of the oven and let it cool just for a minute or two. Then, I placed it on my dinner plate, sliced it down the center, and topped it with the bean mixture and a sprinkle of cilantro! Finally, the spinach was plated to the side of the potato and VOILA!!! Dinner in a pinch with a little variation from last week's creation and with minimal preparation! Yay!


I have to admit I was a little nervous to add red onions (using white onions would not have made me question a thing) to the spinach. In the end, it was a great risk that turned out in my favor as the dish was surprisingly, wonderfully delicious and palatable!! Enjoy!