I keep pinching myself, its another 50 degree day in December and as this in the Northeast I know that it is too good to last and any day now the snow is going to come and my dreams of mild winters will be crushed! But for now I am going to enjoy the sunshine and my light coat and take long meandering walks through the woods while I pretend that it is in fact spring and the summer heat is around the corner.

The trouble with meandering walks though is that once finished, you are famished! I came home terribly hungry and no idea how to fulfill that hunger. I wanted something warm and tasty that made my taste buds zing with flavor but I also needed some energy to keep me motivated to complete all of my Sunday chores. So a search ensued and that is when I discovered the monster sized sweet potato in my pantry. I love sweet potatoes, they are so orange, starchy, and tasty while having beta-carotene, vitamin c, b6 and a host of other great benefits.

Now this sweet potato was frankly, huge and my stomach was definitely saying that I could polish it off (I was wrong) but I still wanted that zing and was feeling a little Mexican style flavoring. Enter the peppers, onions, and fresh corn that I had frozen from the summer as well as tomato, garlic, and chipotle peppers in adobe and I was starting to see something come together but I also wanted a little something snappy so out came the tri-colored quinoa and I was in heaven.

These meal was satisfying, hearty, and warming.

Chipotle Quinoa stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 2

2 medium Sweet Potatoes

1/2 cup Quinoa

1 cup water

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 small Onion, chopped

1 Green Pepper, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Tomato, chopped

1 cup Corn

1/2 Chipotle Pepper in Adobe (more depending on your desired heat level)

1 tbs Chili Powder

1 tbs Cumin

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Avocado and Sunflower seeds for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, poke holed in your sweet potatoes with a sharp knife. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife easily slides into the flesh.

Meanwhile, add the water and quinoa to a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to simmer, covering and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a saute pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic sauteing until softened. Lower the heat to medium low and add the cumin, chili powder, salt, and chipotle chili in adobe. Stir to combine until fragrant. Add the tomato, corn, and quinoa.

Cut the sweet potato in half and top with your quinoa and vegetable mixture. Add sliced avocado and sprinkle of sunflower seeds. Enjoy and healthy eating!