Power Plates || Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

This is no run of the mill sweet potato recipe friends, these are the most incredible Moroccan Sweet Potatoes from Gena Hamshaw's latest book, Power Plates! This perfectly balanced vegan dish is loaded with the warming flavors of cinnamon and ginger which I just can't seem to get enough of during these blustery winter days. 

To be completely honest, I've had this book sitting on my kitchen counter for quite sometime, and while I have cooked from it a TON, I am only now FINALLY getting around to reviewing it. I like to live with cookbooks for a while and truly put them through their paces with my motley crew of eaters. I've cooked countless recipes from the pages of Power Plates now, but am admittedly completely hooked on these Moroccan Sweet Potatoes. 

As you know our table is a mixed bag of dietary needs and preferences and while I feel like I have a pretty good handle on creating well-rounded meals for all of us, I do often worry about the 2 vegetarians at my table. The two questions I ask myself the most when I'm making meals for them are, first and foremost, are they getting enough protein? Quickly followed by are they eating too many grains? Gena's book is an excellent resource that immediately supplied me with an arsenal of 100 approachable, nutritionally balanced, one dish vegan meals that I can easily whip up while simultaneously teaching me the fundamentals I needed to craft well-rounded vegan meals for then on my own.  

I'm not the only one LOVING Power Plates? Here are 4 more recipes from the cookbook that were featured around the internet that captured our attention and have had our taste buds begging for more!  

Macro Bowls with Adzuki Beans + Miso-Glazed Kabocha Squash (photo by @edible_perspective) || These balanced bowls have it all! Perfectly seasoned brown rice with just a hint of sesame, kabocha squash that has been slathered with a miso glaze and roasted to perfection, adzuki beans, kale, and fermented vegetables. It's a flavor explosion for your tastebuds while serving up a balanced ratio of beans, grains, and vegetables. 

Yellow Split Pea Chowder with Sweet Corn + Tempeh Bacon (photo by @golubkakitchen) || A combination of blending half the soup and adding cashew cream at the finish gives this vegan soup its irresistible rich and creamy, luxurious texture! 

Coconut Kale and Lentil Bowls with Roasted Squash + Jasmine Rice (photo by @lilydiamond) || In her post Lily says, "Veggies meet legumes and proteins and grains. Soft, crunchy, and tender textures meld. Bold, delicious flavors cozy up and make themselves at home amongst each other. This is a plant-based world I could live in, day after day." I mean....does one really need to say anything else? I think we should all make this NOW! 

Sweet Potato Salad with Tempeh + Maple Mustard Dressing (photo by @mygoodnesskitchen) || Roasted sweet potato and earthy tempeh bacon are a match made in heaven as far as I am concerned, one that can only be made better by piling the two high on peppery greens and then slathering it all in a mustard laced dressing.  

If you’ve made these Moroccan Sweet Potatoes or any other recipe on our site please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you thought in the comments below, I love hearing from you and your opinions are SO valuable to me! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, design, and decor.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

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These sweet potatoes are great the first day, but even better day 2! We suggest making extra so you have some to take to lunch the next day.  This recipe is from Gena Hamshaw's Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals, and reprinted courtesy of Ten Speed Press, 2017.

• Author: From "Power Plates" by Gena Hamshaw
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 92 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 47 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Moroccan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 cup (200 g) dried brown or pardina lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small white or yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14.5-oz, or 411-g) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon finely grated or minced fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon harissa paste, or 1 teaspoon ground chili powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

4 cups (120 g) firmly packed baby spinach

water, as needed

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (optional)

1⁄2 cup (125 ml) Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing (see recipe below)

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: Chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh cilantro, snipped fresh chives or chopped scallions

Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing

Makes: ⅔ TO ¾ CUP

1⁄4 cup (60 ml) warm water, plus more if desired

1⁄4 cup (60 g) tahini

1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1⁄2 teaspoon agave nectar or maple syrup

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

To make the Moroccan Sweet Potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the sweet potatoes on the lined baking sheet and prick each several times with a fork. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until fork tender.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils as directed on the package. Drain well.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the seeds start to pop. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Decrease the heat to low and stir in the lentils, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, harissa, and salt, then stir in the spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted, adding water by the 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) if needed to prevent sticking. Stir in the pomegranate molasses. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

Cut each sweet potato in half and use a fork to coarsely mash the flesh, still in the skin. Place two halves on each serving plate and top them with a generous scoop of the lentils. Serve right away, with a drizzle of the tahini dressing and the optional fresh herbs.

To make the Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing:

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk until evenly blended. If the dressing is thicker than you’d like, whisk in water by the tablespoonful to achieve the desired consistency. Set aside.

Notes

Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the tahini dressing will keep for 1 week.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 sweet potato + 2 scoops of lentils
• Calories: 459
• Sugar: 11.3 g
• Sodium: 712.1 mg
• Fat: 12.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 72.4 g
• Protein: 19.3 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: sweet potato, vegan, lentil, moroccan

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