Baked Sweet Potato with Cashew Cream

Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite foods. Straight from the oven – deliciously sweet and sticky I love to fill them with some quinoa, vegetables and a creamy sauce. These nutrient dense packed potatoes make a fantastic lunch or dinner. They are hugely filling and will keep your blood sugar happy all day.
Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes may be one of nature’s unsurpassed sources of beta-carotene. Several recent studies have shown the superior ability of sweet potatoes to raise our blood levels of vitamin A. This benefit may be particularly true for children.  This recipe and many others from my ‘Power Packed Lunches’ cooking classes are easy to prepare the night before, pop in a container and take to the office with you.
2 large sweet potatoes
1 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cups filtered water
Pinch sea salt
1 clove garlic crushed
1 onion finely sliced
8 or 10 fresh shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
Shoyu or Tamari
Flaked almonds for garnish
Finely sliced spring onions for garnish
Preheat the oven to 220/440°. Scrub the potatoes and pierce with a sharp knife or fork. Place on a parchment lined baking tray in the middle of the oven for approximately one hour or until the potatoes are soft. Meanwhile rinse the quinoa and place in a heavy based pot. Add the water and bring to a slow simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and all water has been absorbed. Leave covered for another 15 minutes. Remove to a bowl and fluff up with a fork.
Heat a splash of water over a low heat and add the garlic, onion and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and slightly browning.  Stir in the mushrooms add a splash or two of shoyu and a little water if the pan seems too dry. Cover and cook on a low heat for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cashew Cream
1 cup cashews
2 cups filtered water
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 heaped tbsp sweet white miso
1 heaped tbsp light tahini
Sea salt, to taste
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)
In a blender combine the ingredients and add the water a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency of a heavy cream.  For a thinner (sauce) to add to other dishes, simply add more water. Cut open the potatoe, spoon some quinoa into the centre, top with the vegetable filling and cashew cream and garnish with toasted flake almonds and spring onions. Delicious.
Please note:I only use organic fair-trade ingredients that are kind to the soil, the planet and do not involve food slavery or injury to workers. Please be conscious of where your ingredients come from.
In good health