Wednesdays used to be our Guest Blogger Series day; but, there’s just so many new and wonderful Paleo and real-food bloggers out there that we’ve expanded our series. We hope you enjoy the new view points and unique content; if so, we encourage you to show these guest bloggers your support by visiting their blog and social media links at the end of this post!
This week we’re visited by Kate of Eat, Recycle, Repeat, a terrific blog about healthy and natural living. Whether it’s inspiring posts, or life journey posts or recipe posts, there’s always something interesting on her blog! This week she recreates an old favorite: how do potato skins sound to you?
I never really liked potatoes. I ate them anyway. I wasn’t crazy about stuffed potato skins, or “twice baked potatoes” as they are sometimes called in Wisconsin. Either way, when I was with people who knew about stuffed potato skins, I ate them because they were in front of me and other people were eating them too.
Ummm….what?! What kind of life is that? Unmindfully consuming food-like substances (I’m sure that cheese from TGI Fridays was NOT raw & unpasteurized and free of dyes) just because of a lack of anything better? That is the essence of mediocre, and most of the “food” advertised to us today is promoting a mediocre lifestyle and even poorer health. The emptiness of mediocre food & the conventional calorie-focus extends to the emptiness of our spirit.
For all that the facts may say, what compels us to make changes in our lives and sustain them is not ultimately the science, research, or words of others. It is a desire to connect with ourselves and to experience a vivacious, joyful, celebratory life. And some great tasting food.
Fake food screams mediocre to me – and I want so much more than that in my life!
That’s why I’m into sweet potatoes. I’m not kidding. I’m a bit of a fanatic, but I truly enjoy eating them – so unlike my mechanical consumption of their white spudded cousins. When I eat sweet potatoes, I know I’m nourishing my body with real, whole food. The energy they give my body gives me the energy to go out and engage the world and feed my spirit with joy. And so I never look back to the old, lifeless food I once ate, but create new ways to savor the sensation of knowing that I am truly alive and well. Nothing is wrong with white potatoes, but the totally fake stuffed potato skins that I used to order at some junky chain-restaurant now just scream mediocre to me, and I want so much more than that – in my food & in my life!
My strategy in the kitchen is to do a lot of prep work on a free day, so all the base work is done for meal prep during the week. You can roast the sweet potatoes a few days in advance, make the filling ahead of time, and assemble to stuffed skins the night before if you’re hosting a gathering, party, or just feeding your family. When my family clan gets together, it is usually all three. Whether you use sweet potatoes commonly found in America or their Japanese cousins, they both work well in a sweet and savory version of a new, taste-bud rocking food extravaganza. Ok, that might be getting a little carried away. But honestly, eating these just makes me want to dance!
Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins, Savory Version
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 4 oz chopped mushrooms
- ½ C chopped spring onions
- 4 oz prosciutto or cooked bacon
- 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Roast sweet potatoes for 45-55 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let cool while preparing other ingredients.
- Saute onions and mushrooms in coconut oil for 7-10 minutes, until slightly brown and softened.
- Mix onions, mushrooms, and prosciutto or bacon together. Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes, leaving boats to put the stuffing in. Place the empty shells on a sheet pan and add the stuffing with rounded spoonfuls.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the skins for 10 – 15 minutes, until browned and crispy on top.
Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins, Sweet Version
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 medium apple, chopped
- 12 – 15 cooked chestnuts, chopped
- ½ c coconut flakes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp pink salt
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Roast sweet potatoes for 45-55 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit. Let cool while preparing other ingredients.
- Saute chopped apple in coconut oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped chestnuts and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until apples and chestnuts are softened.
- Turn off the heat, add cinnamon and coconut flakes and stir to mix.
- Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes, leaving boats to put the stuffing in. Place the empty shells on a sheet pan and add the stuffing with rounded spoonfuls.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the skins for 10 – 15 minutes, until browned and crispy on top. Drizzle with coconut cream, if desired.
*Use the remaining sweet potato to make Sweet Potato Puddin’ Spread or Fudgy Sweet Potato Truffles
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My name is Kate Johnson and I am the author of Eat, Recycle, Repeat, a blog all about the search for health, happiness, and the best way to eat & celebrate life. I’m originally from Wisconsin, but now I live in a little agricultural corner in Chiba, Japan, a move that triggered a sweet potato obsession. I write about food, emotional eating, our relationship to nature & health, and show how you can make the most out of every opportunity, good or bad, because each moment of life is gifted to us. What we do in the moments defines our lifetime.
