Southwestern Sweet Potato Souffle

After spending a weekend in the mountains of Schuyler, VA earlier this month, Sonny and I made our usual trip to Drumheller's Orchard where we STOCKED up on all kinds of apples and sweet potatoes.  I haven't had a chance to make any apple recipes yet (hoping I can get to that next week), but the Fuji apples have made some wonderful snacks!

I have managed to tap away at some of my sweet potato stock- we've roasted, mashed and baked, and I'm planning on making some sweet potato protein pancakes for tomorrow.  And this healthy casserole-style meal I made last week is definitely worth sharing.  The recipe is packed with nutrient-dense vegetables- but no one will consider this "health food" when noshing through the smoky-sweet, flavor-packed bites!

First, start out by steaming your chopped carrots and sweet potatoes- the carrots will take a little longer to steam so start with just the carrots and add the potatoes about 15 minutes in.  Reserve some of your steaming liquid, about 1/2 cup.  

While your skin-loving, beta-carotene rich veggies are cooking, start on your sauteed vegetables.  This recipe is all... "veggies on veggies on veggies!"  Heat a large (like, the largest you have) saute pan or even sauce pan with your oil, then add in your onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic.  Saute over medium until veggies are tender and onions are translucent.  Stir often so garlic does not burn.  When vegetables are soft and beautiful, turn off the heat and stir in your beans and corn.  

Then, when your orange vegetables are fork tender, transfer them to a large bowl.  Add in 1/2 cup reserved steaming liquid and beat with a hand mixture until mostly smooth... small chunks of carrots and sweet potato are A-ok!  Then, add in your eggs, chili powder, cumin, salt and ground black pepper.

Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.  Stir the shredded cheddar and your sauteed veggie-bean-corn blend into the mashed sweet potato mixture, and spread into your prepared baking dish.  Place that bad boy in the oven, and take care- that dish will be heavy!

Bake until set and browned on top.... you will know it's ready when your house smells like southwestern paradise and your mouth is uncontrollably watering.  

For a dose of heart-healthy fat, and yummy creamy goodness, I added a dollop of guacamole.  And since this was a refuel meal after a tough squat-packed workout, I also added a poached egg for an additional protein punch.  So good, so good, so good.

Southwestern Sweet Potato Souffle

3 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

2 cups peeled and chopped carrots

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1Tb chili powder

1Tb cumin

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

2Tb olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

8oz mushrooms, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly coat 13x9 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

2. Steam carrots and sweet potatoes until fork tender- carrots will require a slightly longer steaming time, so start them and add the sweet potatoes 15 minutes later.  Reserve ½ cup steaming liquid.

3. With a hand mixer, beat the steamed potatoes and carrots with the ½ cup reserved liquid until fairly smooth (some chunks remaining are fine).   Then, add in one beaten egg at a time, along with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined. 

4. While sweet potatoes and carrots are steaming, start on your veggies.  Heat olive oil over medium low in large sauté pan.  Add onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic and cook until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in beans and corn. 

5. Stir veggie mixture into mashed sweet potatoes.  Stir in cheese and spread evenly in prepared baking dish.  Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes until slightly browned on top.

6. Serve with mashed avocado and a poached egg on top.