Spicy Sweet Potato Bites with Avocado Lemon Dip

Anyway you eat it, sweet potato is good. It's one of our favorite foods in the winter months, but we've backed off of it for a while. In search of a new way to eat the veggie, we created these fun, bite-sized nuggets. They've got a hint of heat which pairs great with the creamy avocado dip. Easy enough to make and take to Memorial Day gatherings this weekend and tasty enough to impress party-goers.

We used half of a sweet potato, which made 12 bites. Next time we'll be doubling the recipe. 12 bites is simply not enough.

Recipe Time: 1.5 hours

INGREDIENTS [makes 10-12 bites]

½ medium baked sweet potato
¼ c. black beans
1 t. sea salt
1 t. fresh black pepper
1 t. chili flakes

INGREDIENTS FOR SALSA [use 3 Tbsp. for recipe]

1 roma tomato
½ white onion
1 minced garlic clove
juice of ½ lime
1 Tbsp. minced cilantro
½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
pinch of cayenne

Ingredients for Avocado Lemon Dip

1 mashed avocado
juice from one lemon
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. fresh black pepper

Mix ingredients together until creamy. Simple as that.

Directions for baking the sweet potato(es):

Preheat the oven to 400°. Tear a piece of aluminum foil large enough to create a pouch for the potato. Lightly spray the foil, just enough to keep the potato from sticking. Fold up the sides of the foil and seal the edges to make it airtight. Bake the sweet potato for 40-ish minutes, depending on the size of the potato. Check it periodically by poking it with a fork. When the fork pierces it easily, it's done.

While the sweet potato is baking, make the salsa by combining diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and garlic. Add the squeeze of lime and use a fork or spoon to smash the salsa to a thicker consistency.

When the sweet potato is done, remove the skin from the [preferably after it's cooled a bit] and place into in a medium bowl. Add black beans, salsa mixture, sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix it all together thoroughly with a fork.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment or with foil. If you use foil, spray it lightly with olive oil.

In a small bowl, pour about ½ cup of ground flax. We had flax already ground, but you can grind your own flax seeds at home using a Blendtec or a food processor. Or you can find flax seed meal [which is the same as ground flax seeds] at most grocery stores.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Use a tablespoon to measure the mixture into bites. Roll each scoop into a ball in your hands. This part gets messy - it helps to wet your hands between rolling each ball.

After creating each ball, place it into the bowl of flax and roll it around to cover the whole surface. Place the bites onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, flip them over and bake for 10-15 more minutes. They don't get particularly "crunchy" on the outside, but they are done at around 20-25 minutes.

While the bites are baking, mash the avocado in a small bowl and add the other sauce ingredients. Stir it together and set aside.

Once the bites are done cooking, let them cool, then dip and enjoy!