Loaded Sweet Potato + Chickpea Boats

We’re officially on the boat smooth sailing from summer right into fall… Hop onto this sweet potato + chickpea boat and you’ll be saying peace out summer! This was one of those recipes where I kinda just threw together some produce I needed to use up and surprised myself at just how good it turned out! The chickpeas are baked with a little bit of olive oil + Tandoori Masala. The sweet potatoes are microwaved (to make for one quick meal!) and then smashed with vegan cream cheese + vegan parmesan cheese for a creamy texture. I then topped each boat with artichoke hearts + fresh spinach + drizzled some avocado cream sauce on top #drooling 

You might be wondering why we go crazy for sweet potatoes when September rolls around. This root vegetable has the best flavor during fall because it’s their peak season. Just like other orange veggies, like squash, sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene helping to promote healthy eyesight.  Sweet potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C. If you’re like my hubby and eat potatoes with their skin on (I used to think this was weird!) they can provide up to four grams of fiber! I also pick sweet potatoes over regular ol’ potatoes because they aren’t considered a nightshade vegetable, which I’ve been trying to eat minimally. I always seem to have sweet potatoes in my produce basket on the counter and although I eat them year-round, they are definitely my go-to in the cooler autumn months.

The avocado sauce is made with just 4 ingredients and is super yummy drizzled, well in this case, globbed (ha!) over top. I mean, anything with avocado has to be delicious, right?! Anywho, all aboard! Wait… that’s for a train… train, boat… meh same thing (wink)

Loaded Sweet Potato + Chickpea Boats

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 can artichoke hearts
• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1/2 can pumpkin puree
• 4 oz vegan cream cheese
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese, (recipe below)
• spinach
• avocado cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp tandoori masala , (purchased OR use recipe below)

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Avocado Cream

• 1 avocado
• 2 pinches salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Tandoori Masala

• 3 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 3 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp cardamom

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Drain and rinse your artichoke hearts + chickpeas
3. Whisk together all your tandoori spices in a small bowl
4. **NOTE: I like to make extra and keep this on hand
5. In a medium bowl, mix together your chickpeas + olive oil + tandoori masala 
6. Bake these on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 15 minutes, or until they start to crisp up
7. Meanwhile, poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork on each side of each sweet potato (a few times on each one)
8. Microwave the sweet potatoes for 5 minutes, flip and microwave for 5 more minutes
9. Make the vegan parmesan cheese by blending all ingredients together in your blender until you achieve a parmesan cheese like consistency
10. **NOTE: I also make tons of this and keep in in my fridge because it put it on nearly everything!
11. Let the sweet potatoes cool a bit (they will be hot!), slice in half and scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl
12. Add the vegan parmesan + pumpkin + vegan cream cheese and stir to combine
13. On a small baking sheet (the same one you used to bake your chickpeas) place the skins and re-stuff them. Add the artichoke hearts + chickpeas and place back in the oven for about 5 minutes
14. Make the Avocado Cream by blending all ingredients together until smooth
15. Remove the boats from the oven, top with fresh spinach + avocado cream

Notes

** Vegan Parmesan Cheese is from Minimalist Baker

** Tandoori Masala Spice Mixture is from Minimalist Baker