Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (gluten free, vegan dinner or side dish)

Brian's mom actually sent me a recipe similar to this, but it incorporated mango salsa. That sounds delicious, but I made this one with what I had on hand, which was black beans and regular salsa. I have been wanting to make this recipe for Brian, but I decided to do a test run when I was visiting my parents because my mom had already bought some sweet potatoes. I thought the orangey sweet potatoes would be a perfect food for watching the Virginia Tech Hokies play. They ended up losing :( So my disclaimer is that this recipe is apparently not a sports performance enhancing drug. It is, however, very pretty and filling.

While baked potatoes often get shoved over as a side dish, I thought these ones should take center stage, so we had them with a salad on the side.

colorful stuffed baked sweet potatoes topped with greek yogurt

Black Bean Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe (gluten free, dairy free, vegan/vegetarian)
Ingredients
2 large or 4 small sweet potatoes or yams (this will serve 4 people if Brian isn't around)
1 can of plain black beans or 2 cups of cooked black beans
1/2 onion
1 bell pepper
1 cup of salsa
Salt, pepper, seasoning to taste like cayenne or crushed red pepper depending on your preferred level of spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash the potatoes well and puncture all over with a fork.
Place in the oven on a baking sheet and bake until you can easily puncture it with a fork or knife. (Anywhere between 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on the size and attitude of your potatoes)
Meanwhile, dice up the onion and bell pepper.
When you think you have about 20-30 minutes left in the baking time for the potatoes, saute the onions and pepper. you can do this in some olive oil or steam saute with about 1/4 cup of water.
Drain and rinse the beans well and add them to the softened onion and pepper.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne if you like and cook on medium-low to low until well heated or until the potatoes are ready. Add in the salsa and stir until well mixed and evenly heated. (add the salsa earlier if it was in your refrigerator).
When the potatoes are ready, slice in halves and fluff with a fork. Put a potato half on each plate and spoon on the bean mixture.
Serve with extra salsa, sour cream, yogurt, or shredded cheddar cheese to top.

I had a great time cooking fun meals with my mommy, like Roasted Summer Vegetables, Mushroom & Onion Stir fry, lots of crisp refreshing salads, Coconut Quinoa Green Bean Casserole, and Roasted Pumpkin. I also got to enjoy the first signs of fall interspersed among the vibrant green trees. But the best part about the trip was of course getting to spend time with my wonderful family - especially my lil 2 year-old nephew Elijah (or the Master of Booger Ceremonies as I like to call him). I miss them all so much already! Here are some highlights of the trip.