Every now and then I get a really bad craving for Mexican food. I guess it's because of the Mexican heritage you can find around here. Wherever you go in California, you can always find shelves loaded with roasted hot peppers, different types of hot sauces and refried bean cans. And it's everywhere.... From the grocery store to the corner store, from the gas station to the street stand.

These Mexican potato skins are a hit in our home. They aren't the typical potato skins you can find in sports bars or restaurants, but they are so yummy ! When I was young, my mom used to cook vegetarian potato skins (with melted cheese, "simulated bacon" and sour cream) and it was our favorite meal. Actually, I'm kind of a potato addict : I could eat potatoes and sweet potatoes the rest of my life !

This recipe combines my Mexican craving and my childhood potato skins memories. The sweet potato rounds are topped with mashed avocados, cumin black beans and corn mix, pico de gallo and vegan sour cream ! It's so easy to do because there's no need to scoop out the potato flesh (what a waste!) like the regular recipe.

In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo is a fresh salad made from chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, hot peppers, salt, and lime juice. I always make sure I double the recipe to enjoy the rest with my favorite organic nachos chips !

You can serve them as a side, appetizer (perfect for a hockey night or Superbowl!), pot-lock dish or like we do, as a complete vegan meal with a side green salad. Noah calls these goodies Mexican pizzas ! Don't forget the hot sauce !

Mexican sweet potato skins

Yield : about 25-30 potato skins (4-6 persons or more if served as an appetizer)

Ingredients

3-4 big sweet potatoes (try to pick the largest ones), sliced into 1 cm slices

3-4 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Hot chilli sauce (for garnish)

Mashed avocados :

4-5 avocados

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Pico de gallo

1 big tomato

A handful of fresh cilantro

1/2 small red onion

Juice of 1 lime

1 small hot pepper (remove the seeds if you're not a fan of spicy foods)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cumin blacks beans and corn

1 can black beans (you can also use pinto beans or kidney beans)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grounded cumin

1 teaspoon hot chilli sauce (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Wash potatoes and cut the ends off. Cut the rest of the sweet potatoes into approximately 1 cm (half inch) slices.
Brush both sides with oil and place on a parchment paper covered pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or so. Turn potatoes over after about 15 minutes and cook for the remaining time.
Meanwhile, finely chop all the ingredients for the pico de gallo recipe. Mix with fresh lime juice and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a medium oiled pan, turn the heat to medium. Add minced garlic, the spices and beans and cook for about 5 minutes or so. Set aside.
For the mashed avocados puree, you just need to cut you avocados in half and remove the pits. Mash the avocado flesh with a fork (or with your hands!) until you have a puree (with chunks here and there). Add the lime or lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
When the potatoes are ready, top them with mashed avocados, cumin black beans and corn, vegan cashew sour cream (see recipe below) or tofu sour cream for a nut-free version. Add a bit of pico de gallo. Garnish with green onions. Don't forget the drop a of chilli sauce !
Enjoy !

Vegan sour cream

Recipe from Thrive energy cookbook

1 cup soaked cashews (at least 2 hours), drained

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Soak cashews in a bowl (be sure to cover with water) for at least 2 hours or more. Drain and rinse.
Place in the blender with all the other ingredients and blend on high until smooth.