Recipe Files: Cilantro Lime Sweet Potato and Black Beans

As promised at the end of my last post, here is the first of my vegetarian recipes that I need to update my Pinterest recipe archive (since I'm weaning myself off paper recipes). Also as promised, the amateur food photography (but Pinterest does require a photo for pinning).

I don't really expect anyone else to care, but a note about this recipe just in case. I love this dish so much. It combines my two favorite foods (sweet potato and black beans) with the stellar flavors of lime and cilantro. It's beyond delicious. It's also super easy to pull together. The original recipe source I got this from (no longer available to link to, unfortunately) called this a side, but I treat it like a main dish. My favorite is to serve it with a tomato/avocado salad-- a perfect meal in every way, except there are never enough leftovers.


*Also, please note, if you try to recreate this recipe, I'm putting this together from memory and the way I usually make it, which at this point is just eyeballing everything. So no promises that these measurements are exact. Feel free to add or detract until you get a good flavor you like.

Cilantro Lime Sweet Potato and Black Beans

2.5 lbs. of sweet potato (3-4 medium to large potatoes), peeled and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 limes (including zest of one lime)
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and dice sweet potatoes. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix and toss until evenly coated. Roast in oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft.
3. Allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly while rinsing the beans and preparing the lime "dressing."
4. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro, zest of one lime, juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how juicy your limes are, and how much lime flavor you want), and cayenne pepper.
5. Throw beans and lime dressing in with the sweet potatoes. Toss to evenly coat. Serve warm or chilled, it's delicious either way.

-Serves 4 (theoretically, although my husband and I usually finish off a pan of these just between the two of us.)

And that's it! Super simple, super delicious. Comment/email if you have any questions,