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I feel as though the sweet potato gets the short end of the potato family stick. While white potatoes grace our lunch boxes and dinner tables regularly, the poor sweet potato is relegated to a holiday season side dish covered with brown sugar and marshmallow. It’s a shame. Sweet potatoes are fantastic any time of the year and without a layer of sugar covering them up. Anything you can do with the standard white potato you can do with a sweet potato. You can make them into chips or french fries, you can mash them, make them into potato salad or you can eat them baked with salt and butter. Sweet potatoes are also healthier for you than a white potato; they have a lower glycemic index rating (meaning they cause less of a spike in a person’s blood sugar levels) they’re higher in both vitamin A and C and they’re high in beta-carotene giving them their orange color.

Making stuffed sweet potatoes is a great way to break out of the brown sugar and marshmallow rut. They’re delicious, look impressive on a serving tray and have the added benefit of spinach mixed in. The first time I made this recipe it was for a group of veggie-phobic guys in their twenties and guess what, all of them, down to the pickiest, thought they were good and actually said they would eat them again! If they can pass that group of skeptics they will be devowered at any kitchen table. Enjoy!

Dairy-Free Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, shopped
  • 1 garlic clove, diced
  • 5 ounces frozen, chopped spincah
  • 4 ounces dairy-free cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons dairy-free parmesan cheese (optional)

Before you start, thaw out the frozen spinach and squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside.

Bake the sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven until soft (1-1 1/2 hours) or microwave according to your microwave’s directions. Once cooked cut in half and scoop out the soft flesh without damaging the skins. Set the skins aside.

While the potatoes are cooking heat the olive oil in a sauce pan and saute the garlic and onions several minutes until translucent. Add the sweet potato flesh, spinach, dairy-free cream cheese and Earth Balance. Mix well until the sweet potato is creamy and the dairy-free cream cheese and Earth Balance are melted. Take the sauce pan off the heat and add the optional dairy-free parmasean cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop the sweet potato mixture back into the sweet potato shells. Serve immediately.