I've been a little in denial about this whole "Spring is Here!" thing.
Don't get me wrong- I love Spring. I love all of the seasons. I'm just not quite done with winter.
That is why I'm sharing a fallish/wintery sort of recipe with you today. I do realize that now is the time for lemony treats, spring greens, and all things carrot cake (or Easter-themed). But I'm rebelling a little bit and sharing my favorite breakfast of late: Oatmeal-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
These sweet potatoes are baked, then cut in half and their flesh scooped out. Their flesh is then mixed with a cinnamony, maple oatmeal filled with apple slices and raisins and then stuffed back into the skins from whence they came.
Then they're baked again and then topped with yogurt (I used So Delicious plain Greek-style yogurt), sprinkled with pecans, and drizzled with more maple syrup.
Maybe it's less of a "denial that Spring is here" sort of meal and more of a "farewell-for-now to Winter" kind of dish. Either way, you totally have an excuse to make it tomorrow (or save it until September when it's more seasonally appropriate).
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 cups non-dairy milk
- 1 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 3 tablespoons buckwheat groats
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- salt to taste
- 1 apple, cored and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
- chopped pecans for topping
- plain or vanilla vegan yogurt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Puncture the sweet potatoes with a fork several times and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife can easily slice into the center. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350 F.
- About 5 minutes before it's time for your sweet potatoes to come out of the oven, start your oatmeal. Combine the rest of the ingredients, except for the pecans and yogurt, in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to touch, slice them in half and gently scoop out the flesh, keeping the skins intact (and keeping their "cup" shape). If needed, mash the sweet potato a flesh until it is in small/medium chunks. Add the sweet potato to the oatmeal and stir to combine. Taste and add more sweetener or salt if necessary.
- Divide the oatmeal mixture amongst the 4 potato "cups" until each has a heaping mound of oatmeal. Return to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, topped with yogurt, pecans, and more maple syrup. Enjoy!
If you haven't already noticed, my posts will be a little sporadic in the coming weeks as I finish up the book and then give my brain the much-needed little technology break it needs. By mid-to-late April, I should be back on my normal blogging schedule.
Thank you to all who participated in the Thrive Energy Cookbook Giveaway! I love all hearing what inspires each of you to be healthy- thank you so much for entering! The winner is Marilyn Thomas. Congratulations!
Photography by Chris Miller
Emily @ It Comes Naturally Blog
Wow- These look amazing. I never would have thought to do this - although I used to love scooping out the filling from a jacket potato, mixing it up and popping it back in when I was a kid. Gotta give this a try before the weather get too spring like 🙂
Shannon
So creative! I'm so over the winter weather (it's 22 degrees outside right now), but I don't think I'm quite ready to give up winter veggies yet either =]. Oh, and I loved the "skins from whence they came" line.
The Vegan Cookie Fairy
WOW! At first I thought this might be a lot of effort to make but actually I could have the sweet potato baking while I do my yoga practice... I'm definitely going to try this, it looks way too good not to 🙂
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Ohh these are looking sooo good! Give yourself a break girl, it's well deserved : )
Grace @ FoodFitnessFreshAir
Oh, I'm totally through with winter. But apparently it's not through with me - it's still 20 degrees here in Philly! But that makes it perfect for recipes like this. I want this for breakfast!
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth
I'm a fan of sweet potatoes all year round, so this works for me. This is a great idea!
janae @ bring joy
I used to eat a variation of this (I loaded mine with bananas, not oatmeal), but then got out of the habit of buying sweet potatoes because I was the only one in my family who would really eat them. Boo.
But this looks so lovely--reminds me I need to give more attention to this beautiful & delicious tuber, despite the scrooges in my household against it 🙂
Heather @ The Soulful Spoon
These look OMG ridiculously good:) Thank you for creating this unique recipe:) I'm not gonna lie- I'm not a huge spring fan myself. I can't make myself put up the winter clothes, or quit eating warm foods. Summer here in SC gets brutal- like 105 degrees is normal- kind of brutal, so when spring arrives, a part of me sort of dreads knowing what's coming. So, I totally get your reluctance to letting go of winter:) Either way- summer or winter- this makes a great dish:) You could totally eat this cold in summer for a cooler version too:)
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Oh yum girl. I am drooling!
It's funny you mention not being done with winter...because as much as I have hated this bitter, never-ending winter, I am also not quite ready for spring (because spring leads to summer and I don't like crazy heat either!!). Ahhh I will never be satisfied... At least there is the spring and summer produce to look forawrd to!
Anna {Herbivore Triathlete}
Sweet potatoes are always in season as far as I'm concerned! These look delicious Kristy and almost dessert like, awesome. Enjoy your time away from the internet/electronics, you deserve it.
Katie @ Produce on Parade
I'm not done with winter either! Waaaa. We haven't had any snow all winter in Alaska. Last year we broke a record for snow though. Go figure. 🙂 Sweet potatoes and oats = super tasty! Thanks for sharing!
Heather
What a fun breakfast! A little savory a little sweet, so yum. We are still deep in the throes of winter....spring can't come soon enough for me 🙂
Ana
Mmm, these look amazing! I am so not over winter either - today we had 26F (or -3C) this morning, so filling up on baked (twice baked) sweet potatoes is my kind of breakfast. YUM!
Jessica DeMarra
I wouldn't have thought to mix these all together. I would have eaten the potato separately, then the oatmeal etc but this look so good. I understand the denial of spring, what if winter were to rear its snowy head again upon us!? If it did, at least we can eat this so it can't be all that bad.
Sarah S
I've become infatuated with sweet potatoes!!! Lovin' this breakfast/brunch recipe!!
keepinitkind
I would make it for you if you wanted to come over! 🙂
Claudia (@The Breakfast Drama Queen)
Wow! These look fabulous! I'm obsessed with baked oatmeal and "winter" flavors (which I eat all year round anyway), so this sounds like heaven to me 🙂
Tiffany
This is a combination I had never thought of before but as soon as I saw the recipe I knew I had to try it. We made it last night and it was divine! Thanks.
April
I've mead these sweet potatoes a number of times and everyone always loves them! Thanks for the recipe!