Baked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Cilantro-Cashew Crema (& Bacon)

Every now and then, I find a really great vegan recipe… …and either put an egg on top or add bacon, and call it dinner.

(Jump to the recipe file here.)

An egg doesn’t quite apply to these immensely flavorful baked sweet potatoes, but bacon sure does.

(And yes, of course, you can omit the bacon, and there will be no judgements here. A little pity maybe, but no judgements. Just plan on having enough in your retirement account to live to be 120, that’s all I’ll say.)

Okay, okay,

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Cilantro-Cashew Crema (& Bacon)

You’ll Need:

(Recipe quantities are for or 4 Servings… all photos are of 3 servings, for my family of 3, feel free to divide or multiply at will)

For the Baked Sweet Potatoes

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 4 tsp olive oil

For the Spiced Black Beans

• 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ medium onion, diced
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbs lime juice

For the Cilantro-Cashew Crema

• ¾ cup roasted cashews (salted or unsalted are fine)
• ½ cup cilantro leaves, plucked from the stems
• ½ cup milk (or almond milk)
• 3 Tbs lime juice
• ¼ of a large avocado
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder

For Garnish

• ¾ of that large avocado
• 4 Tbs cilantro leaves, plucked from the stems
• 4-8 pieces of bacon, grilled then crumbled

Begin with baking the sweet potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 425˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Rinse and pat dry your sweet potatoes. Rub each potato all over with about a teaspoon of olive oil.

Place each sweet potato on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes.

Next, grill the bacon.

Preheat your grill to medium-high (about 400˚F).

Make a rimmed baking sheet out of a piece of aluminum foil, lay bacon pieces on the “pan,” and use a cookie sheet to transfer the pan to the grill.

Turn bacon every 4 minutes or so and grill until crispy and golden and browned, about 15-20 minutes total grilling time.

Remove bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, and leave the foil pan until cool, then dispose of it.

Once the bacon has cooled, crumble it into sprinkle-able pieces.

Now it’s a good time to make the Cilantro-Cashew Crema.

In a blender or food processor, place 3/4 cup cashews, 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, 1/2 cup milk, 3 Tbs lime juice (from about 2 small limes), 1/4 of a large avocado, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

Pulse or blend until everything is combined and you have a drizzle-able sauce.

Now for the Spiced Black Beans.

Heat 1 Tbs of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Dice your half of an onion and add to the pan. Mince your 2 garlic cloves and add as well.

Add all the spices: 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp chili powder.

Stir to coat the onions and garlic in all of the spices. Allow to cook a few minutes until the onions begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant.

After a few minutes, add your 15 oz can of black beans and some, but not all, of the liquid from the can. I’d say add about half the liquid.

Bring the beans to a simmer and allow to simmer for 10 minutes to make sure they’re cooked fully.

Towards the last minute or two of simmering, add 1 Tbs of lime juice.

When the beans are cooked through, cover and turn off the burner until the sweet potatoes are finished. You may want to stir periodically to make sure the bottom doesn’t thicken too much.

Once the sweet potatoes are baked and noticeably bubbling, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool just enough to be able to score the tops and handle them with tools. You still want them nice and hot.

And now it’s time to assemble.

Prepare the additional garnishes: Slice and cube the remaining 3/4 of your large avocado, and rinse and pluck additional cilantro leaves.

Score the top and place a sweet potato on a large dinner plate and smash slightly to open it up.

Top with spiced black beans, cilantro-cashew crema, bacon pieces, avocado chunks and cilantro.

I hope you enjoy this tasty combo!

—Becky

Download the recipe file here.