Hot potato

Hot potato.  Please tell me I'm not the only person who remembers that game.  You know, the one where you throw around some (hopefully) soft object as fast as you can, and try not to be the last one holding it when the timer goes off.  There were always those tricky people who would purposefully not catch the potato when it was thrown at them, or worse yet, throw it as hard as they can at you right before the timer goes off.   Mean kids.

I hope that this game was never played with real potatoes, that would hurt.

These potatoes are hot, but they should be eaten, not thrown.  And trust me, you will want to eat them.

Potatoes get a bad rap as a "white starch".  True, potatoes can be bad when they are fried, covered in butter and sour cream, bacon and cheese.  Baked potatoes though can be very nutritious when topped with tasty health conscious toppings.  They contain a ton of fiber.  They are also really high in vitamin C, B6 and potassium.  If you want to learn more about nutritional facts on potatoes you should check this website out.  It's full of great info.  Did you know that if you let the green leafy part of the potato plant go to flower and fruit, the potato tuber turns into a tomato of sorts that is inedible?  Crazy stuff.

These potatoes were thrown together with some veggies that were on their last legs, and half of a can of black beans for a quick weeknight dinner. They turned out incredible!

Southwestern Black Bean Baked Potatoes


Ingredients -

• 2 large or 4 small russet potatoes
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/4 chopped yellow onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 can rinsed black beans
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t smoked paprika
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
• Plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• Shredded low fat cheddar cheese
• Salsa (optional)

Directions -

-Rinse and scrub potatoes until clean, use a paring knife to remove any "eyes" or bad parts from the skin

-Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork, place on a microwave safe plate, microwave on high 5-6 minutes per side (depending on size or potato and power of microwave)  *See note below
-Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat
-Saute onion 4-5 minutes until translucent
-Add garlic, cook 1 minute, making sure not to burn the garlic
-Add peppers, cook 3-4 minutes
-Add beans, spices, and lemon juice, cook 5 minutes until heated through

-Split cooked potatoes down the middle, mash the insides with a fork
-Spoon toppings on potato
-Top with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, cheese, and fresh cilantro (and salsa if using)

*Note - you could do this with potatoes baked in the oven too, I just didn't have an hour to bake them