Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Collards and Aduki Beans

A few weeks back I had the house to myself for the weekend…well kind of. Sage, our puppy, was keeping me company. It was raining and cold, and with no one around to entertain, I couldn’t come up with a better idea than to cook a delicious meal and curl up on the couch with a good book. Not feeling completely motivated to create a new recipe, I began searching the web and paging through my favorite cookbooks. This recipe was adapted from Whole Foods, is so delicious, and contains collard greens – a favorite!

Collard Greens are a cruciferous vegetable and resemble big green fans. They are best known for the cancer prevention and cholesterol-lowering properties they provide but do contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals that should not be overlooked. Like Kale, Collards are full of Vitamins K, A, and C and contain 25% of your daily calcium and fiber needs in just one cup. Collard Greens also contain oxalates, which are naturally occurring substances found in the body. When oxalates become highly concentrated in bodily fluids they can form crystals. If you have a kidney or gallbladder condition that has not been treated, you may wish to avoid collards and substitute with kale in this recipe. If this doesn’t apply to you – eat up!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of organic collard greens, stem removed and leaves sliced 1” wide

3 small sweet potatoes

4 green onions, thinly sliced and dark green part reserved for garnish

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 can of Aduki beans

1 cup of organic vegetable broth

1 lime

¼ cup of sunflower seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet or stone and roast for approximately 35 minutes, or until tender when poked with a fork. Remove the potatoes and let cool. Once the potatoes have cooled enough for handling, peel and cut them into 1” cubes.

Pour ½ cup of vegetable stock into a deep skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the red pepper and green onions (light green and white parts) to the pan and let cook for five minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup of vegetable broth along with the collard greens and Aduki beans. Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes or until collards are wilted, stirring occasionally.

Divide the greens between two bowls. Top with sweet potatoes, dark green onion slices, sunflower seeds and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!