I originally prepared this recipe for a recipe development project I have been working on for a client- the ‘rules’ for them are no oil, no high-fat plant foods (such as avocado), no salt, and no sugar, but with lots of greens, starchy vegetables, and hearty legumes or grains. Now, I love the philosophy they are working with but personally, I do not see a problem with salt, healthy fats, and even some sugar. For this reason, I went ahead and modified this recipe to align with my own eating philosophy….which is fervently believing in copious amounts of avocado, like daily. That being said, this recipe is very low in oil; I used zero oil for cooking, but I did add a little to the chimichurri– if you want this to be totally oil-free you can choose to omit the olive oil in the chimichurri sauce if that’s your vibe.

This recipe is so fresh, zesty, and contains all of the nutrients needed to feel satiated, nourished, grounded, and yet, ready to take on the world- say hello to the wonderful combination of beans, greens, and complex carbs (my dear friend sweet potato, in this case). This one is also super easy to throw together, which is welcome on a busy weeknight!

I hope you love this combo as much as I do, as always feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

Much love my friends xx

Ingredients

1 large bunch of rainbow chard or collard greens

4 cups of packed spinach 

1 Sweet Potato or Yam

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Sliced red cabbage (garnish)

Avocado slices (garnish)

Lime (garnish) 

Black Beans

2 cups of cooked black beans 

½ white or yellow onion, chopped

¼ cup of water (for sauteeing) 

1 tsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Ground cumin powder

½ dried oregano

¼ ground paprika 

2 tsp. salt (I always prefer Himalayan salt)

Chimichurri Sauce

1 cup packed cilantro 

1 cup packed Italian parsley 

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic 

½ jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped  

¼ water 

Juice of 1 lime 

Salt to taste

Method

Prep the sweet potato: Clean the sweet potato and then place it in a small pot covered with water and bring to a boil, let the potato boil for about 7-8 minutes or until you can pierce easily with a fork, you do not want the potato too soft. Take off the heat and let the potato cool completely.

While the potato is cooking, prepare the chimichurri sauce– in a blender add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth, you may add more water for desired consistency and then salt to taste (this can totally be salt-free but I like to add just a bit to bring out the flavors).

Once the sweet potato is cooled completely remove the outer skin (it should peel off very easily) and chop into ½-inch cubes. Add these into an air fryer or onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the oven. If using air fryer cook for 15 min, tossing halfway through. If you are using an oven, place in the oven at 375 for 15 min, tossing it halfway through. We want the potatoes to start to get a nice golden brown on the outside. 

Prepare the beans- in a medium skillet, add 2-3 tablespoons of water, and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute in the pan until the onion becomes translucent, you may add a little more water here if needed. Add the cooked beans and the remaining seasonings and adjust to taste. Set aside. 

Prepare the greens- wash and chop all the greens into bite-sized pieces. In a medium skillet, add 2-3 tablespoons of water and heat over medium-high heat, and add the minced garlic. Saute the garlic for about a minute until fragrant and then add in all of the greens. Start to cook the greens down, tossing them occasionally. Once the greens have cooked down, set aside and we are ready to assemble the bowls. 

Assembly- in a large bowl take a large scoop of the greens, a large scoop of black beans, and your desired portion of sweet potatoes. Add a small handful of sliced red cabbage on top, sliced avocado, a couple of spoonfuls of chimichurri sauce, and a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy!

With Love,
Kayla