Mexican Sweet Potato Skins

Here's another recipe from my Cinco de Mayo celebration. Well it wasn't really a celebration. It was basically me making guacamole and these Mexican sweet potatoes on Seis de Mayo.  I had full intentions of making these Mexican dishes on Cinco de Mayo but had some last minute house guests in town for the Broad Street Run (a very popular 10 mile run down Broad Street, Philadelphia). Needless to say, these runners (cousins) needed to 'carb up' on Cinco de Mayo so these Mexican dishes were pushed a day back which I didn't mind because it meant more for me (stingy much?)!

I found these while browsing the Pinterest (I seem to be finding a lot there these days)! Once I saw it, I knew I had to make it to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! I love sweet potatoes & I love Mexican so this is the perfect combination for me. These sweet potato skins were definitely a winner! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a somewhat appetizing photo to do these sweet potato skins justice! You're just going to have to take my word for it OR hop on over to Pinch of Yum and take a look at her gorgeous photos of these Mexican potato skins! I promise you'll enjoy these!!

Mexican Sweet Potato Skins

From Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2-4 canned chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, minced or pureed
1 ounce light cream cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons shredded cheese (Pepperjack, Cheddar, Colby Jack… anything will work)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.
While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt and other Mexican seasoning (as much as you want). Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans.
Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.
Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.
Mix the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon, depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro.
Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Guacamole!

What did you do to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Did you forgo Cinco de Mayo and sip on mint juleps whilst watching the Kentucky Derby this year?  

I made guacamole.

Mexican is one of my favorite cuisines, might actually be my favorite! I love love love it! Just talking about it now gets me hungry. Guacamole is amazing! And this recipe is just perfect for Cinco de Mayo or any other day. Covering the avocado pulps with lime juice really helps the avocado from turning brown and looking unappetizing.

Guacamole

Alton Brown

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

A Guest Post from Sara Hayes!

Hello Lots to Ladle readers! I'm so excited Lynnie asked me to guest blog. I've learned a lot from her and this blog, and just like her, I've adapted a Martha Stewart recipe to share today!

Martha has a very easy recipe for tortilla soup with black beans. I added some shredded chicken and left out the tortilla chips for a lighter version. This soup is perfect for an easy dinner. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. chili powder

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 package (10 oz) frozen corn kernels

course salt and ground pepper

1 cup crushed tortilla chips (optional)

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juices), beans, broth, corn, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper.

In a separate, smaller saucepan, add chicken breast. Add water or chicken broth so chicken is covered by about 1-2 inches. Season with salt and pepper. Bring water to just under a simmer on medium-high heat. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. After chicken is cooked, shred and add to the soup.

Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add to tortilla chips; cook until softened, about two minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and paper. Serve soup with lime wedges and, if desired, more chips.

Chicken Tostada Salad

This recipe comes from the May 2010 issue of Everyday Food.  I made this meal around Cinco de Mayo ( I know, I know! I'm sorry I'm just posting it now). Tostada is exactly what it sounds like, a toasted tortilla. The tostada serves as the crunchy shell to this very simple salad. This was a very tasty and simple meal to prepare. Next time I'll make a lime vinaigrette to go with the salad. I didn't think there was enough flavor from the lime juice alone. It was a bit too dry.

Ingredients: 

4 corn tortillas

3 tablespoons of olive oil

3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 garlic clove, minced

breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1/2 head romaine lettuce

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 400. Brush each side of the tortillas with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Divide cheese among tortillas and return to oven until cheese is bubbling, about 3 minutes. 

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high. Add half the red onion and cook until softened. Add chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2  minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon lime juice and remove from heat. 

3. In a large bowl combine lettuce and 1 tablespoon lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and divide among tortillas. Top each with chicken mixture, tomato, avocado, remaining onion, and cilantro.