Red Kidney Bean, Chickpea and Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato

Undoubtedly my favourite vegetable, sweet potatoes are not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing with the skin on but when it comes to taste, they sure are a worthy contender. I'm stepping away from all the stews and hotpots for a change with this simple stuffed sweet potato. Don't let its simplicity fool you, the red kidney bean, chickpea and chicken topping's flavour is anything but simple. Sweet potatoes are a low glycaemic index food, are naturally gluten free and contain just 84Kcals/100g (Nutrimen, 2016) when boiled like this one. They a good source of starch, potassium, phosphorous as well as an excellent source of the antioxidant Beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A in the liver (two molecules of Vit A are formed from one molecule of beta-carotene). Red kidney beans and chickpeas are a good source of starch and Iron, Spinach a source of Calcium and of course chicken has the Protein covered. Apart from all these nutritional benefits, sweet potatoes are ridiculously tasty. If you were wondering why they are my favourite vegetable, that's why. What's better than a naturally sweet vegetable gracing your plate? This is a simple meal low in saturated fats, calories and salt; a meal that's hearty and delicious.

Prep time: 25 mins                                                                                       Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves 4

What you need:

4 sweet potatoes (depends on how many you're cooking for)
3 chicken breast fillets, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tin red kidney beans, drained
Half an onion, grated
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 cup fresh spinach
Springs onions, chopped to garnish
Ground pepper and herbs to taste



Method:

1. Fill a large pan half full and bring water to boil. Add sweet potatoes then cover and cook for 15-20 mins until tender.
2.  Whilst the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat up a tbsp of olive oil and fry chicken breast until no pink colour remains. 
3. Adds half an onion and fry for about 2 mins then add red kidney beans, chickpeas and spinach. Season with herbs and ground pepper. 
4. When ready, cut sweet potatoes in half and top with chicken fry up. Finish off with a sprinkle of spring onions.
5. Serve.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Nokhuthula xo 

References:
Nutrimen 2016 Chemistry LibreTexts (2017) Vitamin A: B-Carotene https://chem.libretexts.org/Core/Biological_Chemistry/Vitamins%2C_Cofactors_and_Coenzymes/Vitamin_A  
(Accessed 05/11/2017)