I am a vegetarian, a mother and a wife so I am always creating different things to keep my husband happy(he's not a vegetarian) and sometimes it takes a LOT of creativity! This meal I just kind of whipped together because I realized I bought a bunch of sweet potatoes last week and wanted to make something different.
I started out by stabbing the sweet potatoes with a fork, I used four potatoes, to release the steam as they cooked. I then placed them on a baking sheet, drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil then sprinkled rosemary and grinded cracked black peppercorn on top of them. I put them into the oven that I had preheated to 400 degrees, they take about an hour to fully cook.
Next, I started to work on the pasta salad while the sweet potatoes were baking(they smelt absolutely delicious too!) I used Garden Delight pasta but you could use any pasta you have on hand. I put about 3/4 the box in a saucepan with boiling water and cooked until tender.
Meanwhile, I washed and diced my veggies. I had salad cucumbers, radishes and carrots on hand so that's what I chose to use. You could use any vegetable you like in this pasta salad!
Once the pasta is fully cooked, rinse over with cold water to cool the noodles down.
Next, I added a couple tablespoon of minced garlic, some black olives, a tablespoon or two of Annie's Naturals Goddess dressing and a splash of Margetti Lemon Vinaigrette. I added all of that to the vegetables, stirred in the pasta then put a lid on the bowl and placed it in the fridge to chill before the potatoes were ready!
After putting the pasta salad in the fridge, I started on the filling for the sweet potatoes. In a small saucepan, over low heat, I added in a can of Hunts diced tomatoes(drained), basil, oregano, garlic(all to taste) and a can of organic black beans(drained).
I had a little down time to munch on some yummy blackberries...
And play with my daughter, who was making the kitchen floor her new resting spot and talking on her 'phone'.
And then the sweet potatoes were done!
Slice open the sweet potato.
Spoon in the heated tomato and black bean mixture.
Add a dollop of sour cream(or not if you would like to make your meal vegan).
Remove your pasta salad from the fridge and add a generous portion to your plate.
I also added some cottage cheese to my plate too.
Enjoy!
