Baked Sweet Potato with slow cooked Smokey Beans
Our third superfood super is Baked Sweet Potato with slow cooked Smokey Beans. A simple and tasty supper packed with goodness. Sweet potato is a great source of fibre, anti oxidants, vitamins and minerals while cannellini beans are a great source of protein, magnesium and iron. Not to mention the tomatoes, garlic and parsley! Recipe
- Sweet potato (one per person)
- Cannellini beans (1 x 400g tin serves 4)
- Cherry tomatos
- Pimento
- 2 medium white onions
- 6 cloves garlic
- large bunch flat leaf parsley
- white wine vinegar
- olive oil, salt, pepper
[sc:clear ] Method The beans take a couple of hours, although they have very little actual prep time. They also taste more delicious the following day! Stick them on and leave them and 30 minutes before you want to eat pop your sweet potatoes into an oven preheated to 180 degrees. For the beans, heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy based pan (with a lid preferably) and add the onions, finely sliced. Cook on a medium heat until they begin to collapse and become translucent, don’t be afraid to get some colour on the onions at this stage. Add your garlic, crushed and a 1/2 – 1 teaspoon pimento (more you add spicier it is!) 
[sc:clear ] Lower the heat and stir the two together. Once the mixture starts to stick on the bottom of the pan deglaze with a good splash of white wine vinegar. Let that bubble away for a minute and add a tablespoon of water. Next you neeed to add your beans and tomatoes to the pan. At this stage season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. And now you can leave them, with a lid on, to cook away slowly for a minimum of two hours but longer if you can. Add a little water to the pan if you think it’s sticking too much but otherwise leave them to do their thing. 
[sc:clear ] They should start to look something like this. Tomatoes completely broken down and onions starting to melt into your sauce. 
[sc:clear ] Lastly you can add your parsley. Lots of it, finely chopped stalks and all. Parsley is an amazing source of vitamins, minerals and magnesium so treat it more like an ingredient than a garnish. 
[sc:clear ] And there you have it! This mixture is also amazing for beans on toast or even as a lasagne filling! Serve over your baked potato and enjoy! 