Fully Loaded Cheesy-Beany Healthy Sweet Potato Skins

A fun little fact about me - I love potatoes. I love jacket potatoes, roast potatoes, sauteed potatoes, chips, crisps - I have literally never had a potato product I didn't love. However, as I try to navigate my way through healthy eating, I've come to realise that my adoration for the little yellow nuggets of joy does not bode too well. Basically, I've learned that, heartbreakingly, I personally can't eat potatoes every day if I want to stay relatively slim. As sad as this is, I've found a healthier way to get my 'tato fix - sweet potatoes! I've mentioned before that sweet potatoes, though pretty close in texture and taste to the Real Thing, are actually a whole lot healthier AND one of your five (or whatever) a day. That's why, for this recipe we're combining the delight of stuffed skins with the buzz of a healthy meal to create a delicious dish that is both comforting and good for you!

I give to you...fully loaded sweet potato skins AKA the ultimate veggie comfort food! They're simple to make, delicious to eat, and won't leave you feeling too bloated afterwards. In this recipe I chose to play by the book and stick to a simple guacamole side dish, but you could easily swap this out for a fresh side salad if you so wished. Check out the step-by-step on my YouTube channel below, and read on for the full ingredients and method. I hope you enjoy this easy-peasy yummy recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients:

• Two medium sized sweet potatoes

• Two spring onions - I looove spring onions so I always try to get the thick 'n' juicy ones if I can!

• One large garlic clove

• Half an avocado

• Half a lime

• Two large salad tomatoes (you could use a handful of cherry tomatoes instead if you prefer)

• 240 grams (drained) of red kidney beans

• Two teaspoons of BBQ seasoning

• Around 30 grams of cheddar cheese

• A splash of oil

• Salt & pepper

Method:

1. First things first, wash your two sweet potatoes to get off any dirt or muck, then slice each one in half and chuck into a microwaveable bowl

2. Next, cover the bowl with cling film and pop into the microwave for about eight minutes

3. Whilst that's cooking, finely chop the two spring onions and your large clove of garlic and put this all to the side for a minute

4. Next you want to slice the avocado right down the middle, peel its skin off, chop it into small chunks and scrape into a small bowl

5. Season the avo with salt & pepper, squeeze in the juice of your half lime and give everything a good mix around

6. Grab your tomatoes and roughly chop them - you want the pieces to be about the same size as the chunks of avocado - then chuck them in the bowl with the avocado to make a simple guacamole

7. By now the sweet potato should be finished in the microwave, so carefully take the bowl out and leave to cool for about five minutes (seriously, no matter how impatient you are, leave them to cool - they're gonna be super hot!)

8. Once they've cooled a bit, use a teaspoon to scrape their flesh into an empty bowl, being careful not to puncture the skin as you do so

9. Put the SP flesh to one side, lay the four skins out on a baking tray, drizzle a sprinkling of oil over them and pop in the oven on 180 degrees (fan) for five minutes

10. While that's cooking away, go back to the SP flesh, start mashing away, then add your drained kidney beans, spring onions, garlic, BBQ seasoning, and a little salt & pepper and mix everything together well

11. Pop this mixture to the side and grate your cheddar

12. Next, take your skins out of the oven and spoon the mixture into them, piling as high as you can before sprinkling your cheddar on each one and putting them back in the oven for another five minutes

13. Once they're cooked, transfer (very) carefully onto a plate, spoon your juicy guac on the side and tuck in!

In my opinion, these fully loaded sweet potato skins are perfect for a light lunch or snack; they're deceptively filling so one potato per person is probably enough, but they're also so packed with goodness that if you want more it's totally fine! This recipe is, of course, vegetarian, though if you wanted to make them vegan simply swap the cheddar for a good melty vegan cheese, or ditch it all together.

As we know, I don't really enjoy spicy food, however if you do you could always substitute the BBQ seasoning for a more spicy option, such as chilli powder or cayenne pepper. You could also add little chopped green chillies as well as spring onions to give it a bit of a kick!

I think these fully loaded sweet potato skins are the perfect comfort food to keep you feeling full and satisfied, but also are relatively easy to make and are pretty healthy too. If you like the sound of them, why not give them a go yourself?