So I'm on a bit of a binge as of late... a sweet potato binge. I don't know what it is but I can't seem to get enough of the stuff. It may be that my thoughts turn to this comfort food once the days get shorter, the wind develops a bite to it, the snow flurries starts to make an appearance.... and the dog refuses to go outside for a pee (even though he's uber-adorable in his little red plaid coat...maybe he's embarrassed???) It could also be that I recently made my all-time favourite most awesomest chili recipe, Lentil and Sweet Potato, for a charity chilifest at work and it reignited my taste buds. Either way, I'm eating my fill of sweet potatoes. There are worse things I guess. Like the chip binge I was on for a few months, and the always present chocolate/sweet stuff binge. I have issues... but I'll save that for another discussion.
I came across this recipe while looking at yet another sweet potato recipe on the Clean Eating website (Darrell will be making that one tonight, a lovely sweet potato hash, looks de-lish.) I did modify this recipe from the original. It's not as "clean" as the one posted on their website as I used regular Kraft creamy peanut butter instead of unsalted, natural peanut butter.... I know what you're thinking, I'm a horrible person ;-) I choose to pick my battles, and I don't get too uptight about my peanut butter choices. The original recipe is meant to be grilled (or baked) in individual tin foil packets (4 servings worth) but for ease and convenience I decided to put it all into one casserole dish and bake in the oven. It's quite easy, mess-free and bakes in only 30 minutes, thereby making it a good choice for a mid-week meal. The only time consuming part is the chopping, which I have stated before, I am terrible at. I'm surprised I haven't lost any fingers yet really (there have been a few close calls.) I do hate chopping sweet potatoes but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. For those in a hurry and who maybe detest chopping even more than I do, the veggies could be chopped ahead of time and stored, or pre-chopped veggies could be purchased from the supermarket (no excuses for not eating your veggies.)
And the sauce! We've made peanut sauces before but this one is slightly different - light yet rich and creamy, perhaps from the addition of the coconut milk I'm assuming. You could definitely use the sauce for many different variations of this dish, the possibilities are endless (I'm thinking a lovely shrimp dish of some sort.) It's a meal that I look forward to eating again... tomorrow for lunch in fact (it will help make the dreaded Monday more tolerable.) Always a sure sign of a successful recipe when you can't wait to eat the leftovers- Cheers!
Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Sweet Potatoes
adapted from a Clean Eating recipe
Serves: 4
Total Time: 45 minutes (or longer if you're me and are chopping challenged)
Skill Level: easy and not much fuss in the clean up department
Ingredients
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tbsp honey (raw if you're going all out "clean")
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic minced
12 oz green beans, trimmed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch chunks
3-4 shallots, diced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
Preheat oven to 450 F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, milk, vinegar etc, through to the garlic. Set aside.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix together the green beans, onion, and potatoes and spread evenly into the casserole dish. Place chicken pieces on top of the veggies, then pour the peanut sauce over top. Cover with tin foil and place in oven on middle rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. Serve and garnish with cilantro (everything's better with cilantro in my humble opinion.)
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