Chili-Rubbed Sweet Potato Rounds with Guacamole

Chili-Rubbed Sweet Potato Rounds with Guacamole

Before we get into the deliciousness above, let me thank you all for making this year’s NEDA week post—sharing your ED story with a partner or friend—so lovely. I appreciated all of the comments, especially those from people who are just on the brink of sharing with their partners. I hope you all find strength and support in the CR community! NEDA week is still up and running, so please keep these issues fresh in your minds. And, fellow bloggers, let me know if you write NEDA posts of your own!

I don’t think I have to say too much about the deliciousness above. Guacamole. Sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes grilled with a spice rub. What more could one ask for, except seconds and thirds? Seriously, sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods: they’re one of the more healthy and natural ways to get your carb attack on, and their sweetness gives them tremendous versatility. They’re standard dinner fare for me, but I can easily eat them for breakfast, as we all just learned when I posted my sweet potato breakfast salad with almond butter protein dressing:

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Today’s recipe is quick and easy, but it’s also an impressive appetizer dish to share at parties or as a first course for dinner at home. I grilled my sweet potato rounds on my Cuisinart indoor grill/griddle (this year’s holiday request), but baking them will work every bit as nicely. And of course, if you have an outdoor grill, have at it. Grilling sweet potatoes brings out their caramel flavors, and it’s a great opportunity to crack out a spicy, smoky mixture of seasonings.

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Chili-Rubbed Sweet Potato Rounds with Guacamole (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Serves 4

For the chili spice rub:

2 tbsps chili powder
1 tsp paprika (I use regular here, but use smoked paprika if you want a smoky flavor!)
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
Dash cayenne pepper (omit if you don’t want the heat)

For the dish:

1 large sweet potato, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
Coconut oil (optional)
1 recipe classic Choosing Raw guacamole

1) If you’re baking your sweet ‘taters, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. If you’re grilling them, first prepare a pot of boiling water with a steamer insert.

2) Mix spices together for the rub.

3) Oven method: Brush or spray potatoes lightly with coconut oil (you can omit this if you’re avoiding oils). Sprinkle them with the spice rub. Roast round for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden on the bottoms. Flip and roast for another 12-15 minutes.

Grill method: Steam sweet potato rounds for about eight minutes–you don’t want them cooked through, but you do want them to be most of the way there. Remove from steam heat, spray or brush lightly with coconut oil (totally optional), dust with chili rub, and transfer to grill. Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned.

4) Whip up a batch of classic CR guacamole. Transfer it to a plastic bag, and snip one corner of the bag so that you can pipe out the guac (I almost wrote “pipette out” the guac–too much biochem lab).

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Pipe the guac onto the rounds as if you were frosting cupcakes. (NB: My guac didn’t look much better after piping than it might have if I’d used a spoon. So this step, while nice, is definitely optional).

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5) Serve, savor, swoon.

The light, bright, lemony guacamole pairs perfectly with the dense, sweet, and smoky sweet potatoes in this scrumptious recipe. Added bonus? Lots of complex carbs and healthy fat make this an incredibly satiating—as well as a supremely delicious—snack or appetizer.

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Healthy, simple, and satisfying. The best kind of party food.

Hope you keep this recipe in mind for either winter or summer entertaining; one of its benefits is that it features produce from both seasons, and it’s very versatile!

With that, it’s back to a long day of biochem lab and Orgo reports. Happy hump night.

xo

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Categories: Vegan Basics
Ingredients: Sweet Potato
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free

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    51 Comments
  1. I just made these for dinner with simple romaine, it was a hit. Your recipes are so inspiring and delicious, thank you!

  2. This was absolutely delicious! I’ve already made it multiple times and I’m practically drooling thinking about making it again. Sweet potato and guac are my two favorite things of late.

  3. I just made these and they are absolutely delicious! Thanks for such a great idea! I generally don’t eat sweet potatoes because of the brown sugar and cinnamon. This was a whole new way to prepare them and totally worth it!

  4. I never thought about guacamole and sweet potatoes together. Both are foods I love, excuse me, plain ADOREEE!!!
    I have to try this recipe!!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  5. YUM they look SO GOOD. I had guac with sweet potato the other day and they went sooo well together, but I think the spices/grilling would take it to the next level! definitely making it soon.

    I also love the “pipette out” haha, I’m doing a biochem unit at the moment so can totally relate! The joys of science.

  6. Yummmm. These are delicious. The sweet and spicy potatoes contrast nicely with the tart, sharp and creamy guacamole. When I saw your post, I was already plannning to make tempeh tacos for dinner with cesar salad. The sweet potatoes were a great accompaniment.

  7. Anything with avocado I LOVE! This looks like a yummy and new pairing. And I haven’t even thought to grill sweet potatoes in my cuisinart grilling pan. Such a great idea!

  8. Great choice for an appetizer. Actually one that I had never even considered. Fairly healthy idea too, thanks for sharing.

  9. Alison, your Chili-Rubbed Sweet Potato Rounds with Guacamole look to good to be truth! Even though I don’t cook or bake for my self, just for my children, they are too tempting not to try it!

    Carlos

  10. These are just adorable! … And not difficult to prepare, and appetizing to virtually anyone with taste buds… I am so making these for my family when I get home for spring break!

  11. What an awesome appetizer idea. I’m always looking for healthy, vegan, gluten-free appetizer ideas to bring to events (that aren’t super complicated) so I will definitely be making this one next time. Thanks for the inspiration!

  12. yes and please! this is so simple, why didn’t i think to do this? i can just see the drizzle of sriarcha over top of them now! these are a great crowd pleaser too! it’s like healthy chip n dip!

  13. Wow, I think you just inspired me to buy some sweet potatoes when I go to the store later today. I already love guacamole with a passion so this sounds amazing.

  14. Peta ad. ED. Sigh. I have two little girls 5 & newly 7. The PETA ad just made me a little hopeless. I also just discovered promia – proana? I think I have those spelled right. The most disturbing thing about those two sites is that they are clearly not written by a teenage or young woman. It was written by someone pretending to be young and prey on the lives of girls. It made me sick..

    I’m 39. And I became very interested in health only after the girls were born. They are beautiful and it would break my heart to see them undergo plastic surgery, starve, or ever feel ugly or ashamed. And they are very pretty! Society says pretty girls should be whores. I don’t think I’m exaggerating, am I?

    Outside of strong family, strong daddy involvement, and leading by action, is there anything else that I can be doing? How can I divide a need to be thin with a need to be healthy?

    The girls are already becoming sensitive to their tummies, are they flat? Flat like Airel’s (the little mermaid). It’s nuts…

    This probably belongs in an email. Sorry for such a long comment. I’ve gotta run to work, so without proof reading I’m posting this!!!

    I love ur recipes, btw. Good balance. Relatively easy..

  15. Food twin, you’ve done is again! Just plate me a side of kale salad and you have all my favorite foods! 😉

  16. Thank you so much for sharing this Gena! I have just whipped up your guacamole, and will be having this with spicy sweet potato tonight – very, very tasty 🙂

  17. These look beyond delicious and definitely a snack and or appetizer everybody would love– vegetarian or not. I agree with the above comments, I’m sure the sweetness, smokiness and acid go incredibly well together!

  18. Looks so yummy! Could pair nice with a simple salad to make it quite nutrient dense! (though a little light on the protein)

  19. I never pipe anything b/c honestly, the waste factor on the inside of the baggie is more troublesome than the slightly less-than-perfectly-neat job I could do with a spoon. lol

    I love this idea…and the grill marks on the taters..NICE!

  20. “I almost wrote ‘pipette out’ the guac.” Stop. This is hilarious. AND a sign that you’re a true scientist now! I will definitely check these out – extra chilli spice due to the time-worn desensitization of my capsaicin receptors. No grill so it looks like I’ll be incubating these at 425. Oh my god I’m the worst.

  21. These are so darn cute! Sweet potatoes go with practically anything. Luckily my school has them almost all the time, my favorite form being the sweet potato fry.

  22. Oh my, you have me drooling at my computer! =) How I wish I didn’t live in a kitchenless dormitory!

  23. I notice in this photo something I’ve noticed before: you seem to eat the sweet potato skins. Is that true? I’ve never eaten them, though I always eat the skins of white (organic) potatoes. For some reason I thought sweet potato skins were too tough (and I usually don’t buy them organic, because of their place on the dirty/clean list) – are they ok to eat and should I start eating them too? thanks!

  24. I would’ve never thought to pair sweet potatoes and guac together but now that I see that it just makes so much delicious sense! Two of my favorites as well.
    It’s also nice to hear someone else going through rigorous science classes (I share your pain!). I am in Orgo 1 and microbio (among other classes) and have to take biochem and anatomy next semester! It helps to see you do it and still create healthy meals for yourself.

  25. Ooh, these sound delicious, and they look so nice, too! I’m sure I could easily eat them all myself, but these would be so fun to have as an appetizer before dinner or at a party. I also love the grill marks on the sweet potato rounds. Thanks for this recipe – I can’t wait to try it out.

  26. sweet potatoes and avocados. Two of my favorite foods. This is definitely on the list to make after my next grocery shop! Thanks for sharing!

  27. What a great idea, Gena. I made a delicious pineapple and cucumber guac recently and loved it with anything I stuff in a wrap. 🙂 Sadly, I didn’t think of sweet potato. Next time!

  28. Delicious! I bet the sweetness of the sweet potato and the creaminess of the avocado make for a perfect pair.
    Best of luck with orgo–I feel your pain!

  29. Yum! These look great G! Thank you again for yesterdays post, it is so important to talk about those kind of issues, and people just don’t do it enough. You are a rock star.