{recipe} Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas and Feta

This is your new favorite vegetarian entree! It is very easy to make and requires only a small number of ingredients, and minimal cooking skills. It looks beautiful and tastes even better!

It’s very simple – all you do is roast the sweet potatoes in the oven in a bit of olive oil, then fill them with chickpeas and dust them with feta, salt, and a sprinkling of chili flakes. After another 10 minutes in the oven, top with chopped cilantro or parsley.

I used purple and orange sweet potatoes because the purple ones were too pretty to pass up. The orange have a softer, sweeter taste and the purple are less sweet and more starchy.

RECIPE: Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas and Feta
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes (orange is best)
• 1-2 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• chili flakes to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put a silpat or piece of parchment paper on a half sheet pan or cookie sheet. Pour 1-2 Tblsp olive oil on the paper or silpat. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Lay them cut-side down on the pan, rubbing them around in the olive oil as you do. Cook for 35-50 minutes, until fork tender and soft.
• Remove from oven and flip sweet potatoes over. Mash the centers a bit with a fork, making a shallow well in the middle. Distribute chickpeas among sweet potatoes, pressing them down slightly into the flesh so they don’t roll away.
• Sprinkle feta cheese over the tops of the sweet potatoes. Season each sweet potato with a pinch of salt and a pinch of chili flakes.
• Return to oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is a little melty/browned.
• Remove from oven and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve immediately.