Stuffed sweet potatoes

The sweet potato has gained a lot of popularity in our family, in the last year, as it is a very versatile food. We equally like oven baked sweet potato wedges, with garlic and rosemary and sweet potato pancakes or brownies. Because I wanted to try something different this time, I made some stuffed sweet potatoes, very savory and tasty.

Ingredients:
-1 large sweet potato;
- 300g ground beef;
- 1/2 courgette, diced;
- 2 spring onions (or one small onion), finely chopped;
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed;
- 3 cherry tomatoes, chopped + 2 cherry tomatoes, sliced (to put on top of the stuffed potatoes);
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced;
- one small carrot, morcov mic, ras;
- optional: any other vegetables, mushrooms, apio, etc.
-  one tsp ground cumin;
- a few slices of yellow cheese or mozarella (to top);
* this recipe does not contain salt; if you don't have any restrictions, season with salt and pepper, by taste.

Method:
Half the sweet potato lengthwise, put the pieces in a pot with water and let it boil, over low fire.
Meanwhile, in a large non sticky pan add the vegetables (onion, courgette, tomatoes, pepper, carrot, garlic, etc.) and fry them a little bit, in their own juices, stirring continuously. After a few minutes, add 100 ml of water (you can also add a few Tbsp of oil) and let simmer over low fire until the vegetables soften. Add the ground beef and keep stirring so it doesn't stick together. Turn the meat on all sides, until completely cooked (it will change its color). Add the cumin, salt and pepper (if using). Remove from heat.
When the sweet potato is boiled, remove it from the water and scoop out most of the flesh, leaving just a small part next to the skin. Add the flesh to the meat and vegetable mixture and use this to fill each of the potato halves. Top with the cheese and tomato slices and bake in the oven for 10 minutes (at about 180 degrees C), until the cheese melts. Serve hot and enjoy!

Oven baked veggie patties

Ingredients:
- 1 big courgette (zucchini);
- 2 carrots;
- 1 egg;
- 4-6 Tbsp flour or bread crumbs.

Peel and grate the vegetables, then drain them well (by either squeezing them with your hand or using a strainer or a clean cloth). Add the egg and 4 Tbsp bread-crumbs or flour and mix well. You have to get a thick mixture that can be shaped by hand. Depending on the size of the egg and veggies, you might need to add 1-2 extra Tbsp of flour or bread-crumbles. Once you get a firm enough texture, wet your hands and form the patties. Place them on a tray lined with baking paper and flatten them gently with your hand (if they are thinner they will bake faster).
Place the tray in the preheated oven (180 degrees Celsius) and bake for about 1/2h (depending on the size of the patties). Enjoy!

Vegan stuffed peppers

I love stuffed peppers and, as I had a lot of fresh vegetables in the fridge, I decided to try a vegan recipe, filled with nutrients and vitamins. It was a huge success! The peppers turned out just amazing and they were highly appreciated by my little food critics.

Ingredients:

- 7 bell peppers;

- 2 spring onions;

- 1 carrot;

- 200g mushrooms;

- 1/2 cup red lentils;

- 1 cup integral rice;

- 5 cauliflower florrets;

- 1 courgette (cut in half, the inner part scooped and added to the filling, while the outer part will be filled);

- one handful chopped Swiss chard (or spinach);

- 4 Tbsp oil;
- 1 tsp turmeric; 

- 1 jar / can of tomato cubes or 5 fresh, very ripe tomatoes.

Add the finely sliced spring onions, grated carrot and finely chopped mushrooms to a pan, add 1/4 cup of water and 4 Tbsp oil and fry over medium heat for a few minutes, until the vegetables soften, Add the lentils and the rice, stir and let fry for a few minutes. Reduce the heat and add 1 cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer over low heat until the water is completely absorbed.
Add the cauliflower, inner part of the courgette and the Swiss chard, all finely chopped and 1/2 cup water. Let simmer a few minutes, until the water is absorbed. Add the turmeric, stir and remove from heat.

 Meanwhile, wash the bell peppers and cut a lid from the top (remove and discard the seeds). Place them in a large pot (they have to be tight so that they wouldn't fall while boiling), together with the halved, scooped courgette. Fill the peppers with the rice-lentil-veggie mix and add the "lids" on top.
In a bowl, mix 1 cup of water with 1 can of tomato cubes (or puree) and pour the tomato sauce over the peppers (you can use 5-6 fresh tomatoes instead, just put them in a food processor and blend until you get a smooth juice).
Put the lid over the pot and boil the peppers over low-medium heat for about 1/2h, until the peppers soften (check also the rice, if you use integral rice it might take a longer time to boil).
 Enjoy!