Baked Sweet Potato with Herbed Chickpeas and Lemon-Tahini Drizzle

INGREDIENTS

4 sweet potatoes Herbed rice and chickpeas:

1 cup rice (any type will work)

2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained Olive oil, to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Freshly chopped parsley Freshly chopped chives For lemon-tahini drizzle: ½ cup sesame tahini 3 large cloves garlic 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 to 5 tablespoons water Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

For the baked sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a fork, pierce the skin of 4 sweet potatoes, 5 to 6 times. Place on baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Combine rice, broth and garlic in a medium saucepot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tender (20 to 40 minutes depending on the type of rice). Fluff rice with a fork, then stir in the chickpeas, a good drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, chopped parsley and some chopped chives. Play with the seasoning until it tastes just right to you.

Place the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons water into the bowl of a food processor. Blend well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and adding enough additional water to create a sauce with a smooth, pourable consistency. Season to taste with salt.

To serve: Split baked potato in half and top with a generous scoop of the herbed rice. Finish it all off with a nice drizzle of lemon-tahini sauce. Enjoy!