Cheesy Bacon Sweet Potato Skins

These sweet potato skins, stuffed with creamy sweet potato mash and cheese and bacon, were originally created as a hooray-it's-Friday, game-day, movie-watching snack, but I'll let you in on a secret: the leftovers make a damn delicious breakfast when reheated. Whether you’re enjoying them in the morning or afternoon, it start the same way. Sweet potatoes (bake 'em up!). The soft, sweet flesh gets mashed with sour cream, which makes them ultra-creamy and flavorful.

Toppings is where these sweet potato skins get their name -- and where it gets really delicious. First -- shredded Monterey Jack. Then, bacon pieces. I used Tender Belly Habanero Bacon which was SO good because it's just the right balance of sweet and spicy, but your favorite bacon will be perfect, no matter what it is. The potatoes go in the oven like that, just until the cheesy is extra gooey, and then get topped with fresh green onions (need a little bit of green in all of that orange! 😉), a dollop of fresh sour cream, a few slices of jalapeño (for extra zip!), and a dash of smoked paprika (which also adds nice color and flavor).

All that's left to do is eat! 

Cheesy Bacon Sweet Potato Skins

Published January 22, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 12   |    Active Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients:

6 sweet potatoes

1/3 cup sour cream, plus more for topping

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1-1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup sliced green onions

Several dashes of paprika, for garnish

Optional: 1 jalapeño, sliced for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick each sweet potato with a fork, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft all the way through. Allow sweet potatoes to cook 10-15 minutes, or until they are cool enough for you to handle.
2. Slice each sweet potato in half. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of each potato half and into a bowl without breaking the skin of the potato (tip: leave about 1/4 inch of flesh attached to the skin, it helps keep everything together!).
3. Mash sweet potato flesh with 1/3 cup sour cream, salt, and pepper until everything is incorporated (a few lumps are OK).
4. Scoop mashed sweet potato into potato skins. Top with cheese and bacon bits. Place back in oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and just starting to bubble. Remove from oven, and top with green onions, a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of paprika, and if using, a slice or two of fresh jalapeño.
5. Serve hot.

Reheating leftovers: Leftovers can be reheated in a microwave (1-2 minutes, depending on microwave), toaster oven or oven (350° for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through)

Honey Sesame Chicken Wings & Make it Paleo 2 Cookbook Giveaway

 -- This Giveaway has ended, and the winner has been notified via email. Thank you to everyone that participated! --

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Each day last week, I checked the mail expectantly. I had ordered several things on Amazon and was getting impatient: Cocoa butter (to satisfy that chocolate addiction). Succulent cuttings (to plant in our collection of empty pots--BTW, did you know you could mail order these?!). As days passed, my patience wained (...chocolate...). Then, midweek,  I opened up the mail box to find a package. 

It was bubble wrapped, rectangular, and bendy. I know it was neither my plants nor my cocoa butter, but for a few minutes my curiosity piqued, distracting me from my missing deliveries. What is this?? A copy of Make it Paleo II!

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Make it Paleo 2 by Hayley Mason, Bill Staley, and Caitlin Grace Nagelson

This was a pleasant and welcome surprise, to say the least. Make it Paleo 2 contains over 175 grain-free recipes, many of them AIP-friendly, and pages lined with photos. The team at Primal Palate hit this one on the nose. If you've been looking for a new favorite food, it's probably in here. Barbacoa Tacos (tortillas included)? Check. Nightshade-free breakfast sausage? You got it. RAVIOLI? Yup, that's in there too. These Honey Sesame Wings were the star of our game-watching festivities last night. 

So now you want your own copy of Make it Paleo 2? Make it Paleo 2 will be available for purchase on February 17th, but I'll be giving away a free copy of this book here! Scroll down to the widget below to enter. The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday, February 8th, at 12 midnight (MST). Until then, I'll be making as many of the other recipes in here as I can! Stracciatella Gelato? More, please! 

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This cookbook's publisher sent me this book to review. Opinions are all my own. Supporting fellow healthy food bloggers is something I love to do! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note that only participants living in North America are eligible to win this sweepstakes. Winner will be notified by email on Feb. 9th and must respond with their mail information with in 3 days or a new winner will be selected. 

Honey Sesame Wings - from Make it Paleo 2 cookbook

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon grated garlic

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon raw honey

24 chicken wings, cut into winglets

Sea salt

For garnish: 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and 1 scallion, thinly sliced 

1. Make the sauce: heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes, coconut aminos, and fish sauce and stir to combine. Add the toasted sesame oil and honey and whisk over medium heat until the honey has completely dissolved and the sauce starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring every so often, until the sauce has reduced and thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This can take up to 20 minutes.

2. While the sauce is cooking, grill the chicken wings. Preheat a grill to medium (400°F). Rinse the chicken under cold water, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt. Grill for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through, turning every 5 minutes. (Most grills have hot spots and cooler spots, so moving the chicken around a bit helps to ensure even cooking.) 

3. Toss the chicken wings with the honey sesame sauce, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and top with the slices scallion. 

I served these along side Sriracha. Make your own, here. 

Paleo Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas

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I'm the kind of football fan that has no idea what teams are playing. You know the type. Every year, as February rolls around, I think to myself, The Super Bowl must be soon, right? And then I start thinking on a daily basis about what types of snacks we should have. When the big day comes, I'm the person that is 4 times more likely to get up for snacks during playtime than during a commercial break. 

I may not be able to keep the point system straight in my head, but here's one thing I do understand: snacks that score are just as important. 

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Tacos are the ultimate party food — especially for football watching - because everyone can build their own plate just to their liking. Which just makes everyone happy. Tacos tend to do that.

Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas are also the ultimate solution for parties like this because they cook ahead of time in your slow cooker, so are never rushing to get food out when everyone start to arrive.

These carnitas are slow cooked with chili powder, cumin, garlic and onions. You can add extra heat, if you like spicy food, by adding a dash or two of cayenne, or serving your tacos with hot salsa.

My “secret” (not much of a secret, as I’m publishing it here) when slow cooking taco meat is finishing it under the broiler. This gives us crispy edges, as if you braised everything in a dutch oven for hours, though really you had your slow cooker plugged in (which is just SO much easier).

Pile tacos with avocado, pico de gallo, sliced jicama, cilantro, red onion, salsa, cheese… really what ever you like.

Whichever team you cheer for this weekend... I hope you eat well! 

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Paleo Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas

Published January 28, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 4 hours

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Ingredients:

1 pound beef chuck roast

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 white onion, sliced 

1 tablespoon chili powder 

1/4 teaspoon cumin 

1/4 teaspoon ground paprika 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Pinch of ground cayenne (optional)

1 cup chicken or beef broth

To serve: corn tortillas, salsa, cilantro, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, red onion, etc.

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in a large pan (if your slow cooker has a sauté setting, you can use that). Place beef in Instant Pot and brown each, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer beef to slow cooker pot if not already there.
2. Add garlic and sliced onion, along with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and broth. Place lid on slow cooker, and set timer to 4 hours on high.
3. After 4 hours, use tongs to transfer beef to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred beef into bite-sized pieces. Turn oven to high “broil” setting and place sheet pan in oven. Allow to roast about 5 minutes, just until edges of meat begin to turn crisp (watch closely, the broiler is hot and food can burn quickly!)
4. Serve beef warm with tacos supplies for a create-your-own taco bar!