Lisa was browsing through Fitness Food and found this pretty odd recipe: a baked sweet potato covered with ground beef and salsa. Bizarre? Yep! We liked all the ingredients separately, however, so there was a pretty good chance it’d taste good together… and it did. The sweet of the potatoes was a nice contrast to the spicy salsa, and the corn on the cob we had on the side was well worth the flossing effort later on.

Baked Sweet Potatoes Mexicana
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4 7-oz orange sweet potatoes
oil spray
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
9 oz lean ground beef
10 1/2 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbs tomato paste
11 1/2 oz jar salsa
light sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400. Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a skewer. Bake on the oven rack for 40 minutes or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan to medium. Lightly spray with the oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the beef and cook, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in the kidney beans, tomato paste, and salsa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Make a deep cut along the top of each cooked sweet potato. Divide the mixture among them and top with a dollop of sour cream.

4 Servings.