Elizabeth’s Eats: Sweet Potato Tacos

Greetings fellow foodies. As an amateur collegiette chef and food blog fanatic, I am thrilled to introduce my very own cooking blog, and spread my palette-pleasing knowledge with all of you.

We can all agree that a hot topic among our student body is food—but the food pyramid of choice for most UCSB-ers is comprised of hefty (and expensive) Freebirds nachos, gooey (and fattening) Domino’s $5-$5-$5 deals, and sweet (yet, highly caloric) cookie-wiches from IV Drip.

That’s where I come in. I understand the struggles that young adults endure when dealing with the freedom of food. We are no longer basking in the luxury of home cooked deals thanks to Mom and Pops or the ill-prepared (but readily available) mass produced experiments that the dormitories deem to be meals.

Suddenly many questions arise: What should I eat today? What is healthy or unhealthy? Why is my kitchen so small? What do I do with these leftovers? Why is food so expensive? How do I cook?! All of these thoughts streaming through your head at least three times a day—that’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner—will soon be answered with the time-saving, money-saving, and health-saving tips, and of course, the do-it-yourself recipes featured right here on Elizabeth’s Eats.

With each new post, I hope you will discover a new dish to satisfy your stomach, gain an interest in preparing meals for yourself, and become enlightened with the cooking knowledge that will prove that the kitchen is not so daunting.

For my first post, I have decided to provide you with an unlikely twist to a popular Southern California cuisine, Mexican food. With the help of my housemate, Cassidy Wallerstein—a senior here at UCSB who experiences the battle of cooking in an Isla Vista kitchen after long days of class, internships and socializing—you will learn how to create and consume the innovative and healthy alternative to greasy tacos: Sweet Potato Tacos.

Living with 13 roommates creates a 6:00PM kitchen setting that is comparable to walking into a party, given the crowd our stove attracts during dinner time. Because of the high quantity of meals prepared simultaneously in my home, I witness frequent flavors being concocted, and Wallerstein’s innovative tacos caught my eye amid the microwavable mac-n-cheese and ramen noodles being warmed up.

“With my busy schedule and tiny student kitchen, I rarely have the time or space to make cool recipes,” says Wallerstein, who loves to read cooking blogs. However, “these [tacos] are relatively simple and the bulk of the time is spent baking the sweet potatoes, which can be done in advance.”

Wallerstein describes the taste of the tacos as “unexpected,” and says that she enjoys the “traditional Mexican flavors that are used in a new way.” The foodie who favors Mexican, Italian, and Thai food also says that these unusual tacos are “way easier to prepare” than the original.

So…are you dying to try this scrumptious treat at home? Follow this recipe and these instructions, and you will be well on your way to a very happy stomach.

Average Time:

• 1 hour (Including 40 minutes of baking time, which can be done ahead—leave ’em in the oven while you’re studying!)

Serves:

• 2 (Hello, leftovers!)

Ingredients:

• 2-4 small or medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1-2 bell peppers, color of choice (we used a tri-color mixture)
• 1 cup corn
• 2 cups beans of choice (we used black beans)
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• Any additional favorite taco toppings: lettuce, avocado, salsa, cheese, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Rinse the sweet potatoes and cut of the ends. 
3. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, approximately 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until you can handle. 
4. Slice potato lengthwise and scoop out the center leaving about 1/4 in of the potato on the skin.
5. Increase the heat of the oven to 450°. Brush olive oil over both sides of the potato skins. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack or in a roasting pan. Cook for 7-10 minutes on each side, until browned and slightly crispy. 
6. Meanwhile, dice onions and bell peppers. 
7. Heat olive oil in a pan and add onions, cooking until fragrant. Add bell peppers and corn and cook until peppers begin to soften. Add taco seasoning and beans and saute until veggies are translucent. 
8. Place sweet potato “taco shells” on a plate, fill with vegetable and bean mixture, and garnish with you favorite taco toppings.  

Money-saving tip:
What to do with that extra sweet potato you’ve scooped out of the “shells?” Don’t throw it away! Save the antioxident-filled leftovers for a yummy snack for later. Mash it up (like mashed potatoes), sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top, and you have yourself a sweet and healthy side dish.

And if your not craving a sweet treat, stir the ‘taters up the savory way—once you’re done mashing the potatoes, throw in some parsley, garlic salt, and black pepper. You can mix in any leftover sauteed onions from your tacos, too, if you’re feeling fancy. Enjoy!

Adapted from http://food-lifebalance.com