Sweet Potatoes with Shredded Chicken

This is a nice change of pace from the typical dinners we make. The rotisserie chicken is delicious, and there's usually enough leftover to use for a different recipe that week. You can also cook the sweet potatoes ahead of time to make for a quicker meal option during the week.

6 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup dry-roasted cashews, unsalted
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions


1. Preheat oven to 400°. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork. Rub potatoes with olive oil; wrap each in foil. Place potatoes on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Partially split potatoes in half lengthwise; fluff the flesh with a fork. Sprinkle evenly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add celery; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add cherries and next 5 ingredients (through salt); cook 1 minute. Stir in chicken and cashews; cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with onions. Top potatoes with chicken mixture.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos

A favorite go-to. This is delicious, inexpensive, and filling. We sometimes skip the tortillas and serve it over rice instead as a burrito bowl.

3 cups sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
1/2 onion (chopped)

Saute in large frypan in 1 tablespoon oil just until tender. Add water or apple juice as needed to prevent sticking. (Cooks much faster if you cover it)

2 cups cooked black beans
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add and cook until heated through.

8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)

Divide bean mixture and cheese among the tortiillas and roll up. Place in a 9x13 baking pan. Lightly spray with olive oil if desired. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, salsa, and/or fresh cilantro

Coconut-Oat Chicken Nuggets

We've made this twice in the past week. It was so delicious!

2 pounds Chicken Breast, pat dry, sliced into 2 inch nuggets
1 cup oats
3/4 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flake
a few pinches Garlic Salt (to taste, you can add more later)
a few pinches Black Pepper
1/4 tsp ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (add more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1/2 cup Egg Whites
Optional: Red Pepper Flakes or Cayenne for some heat. Combine with other dry ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a lightly sprayed wire rack in center of baking sheet. Place oats, coconut, garlic salt & spices in the bowl of your food processor. Grind to fine bread crumb consistency. Taste mixture to see if you want to add any more spice. In another bowl, whisk egg whites.

With one hand dip the pieces of chicken in egg whites, let the excess drip off. With the other hand coat chicken in the oat/coconut mixture. Lightly spray both sides of the chicken nuggets. Lay nuggets down in a single layer on the greased rack.

Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Don't let chicken overcook as you want to keep them crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. You can finish & crisp up the nuggets under a low broiler for about 2 minutes, just watch they do not burn.

Recipe courtesy of marlameridith.com