Ayurveda Recipe: Spinach & Tofu Stuffed Sweet Potato

Feelin’ the Love in February

This time of year calls for grounding foods to provide an antidote to the dry, light, cold, and erratic qualities embodied by winter.

These qualities can create feelings of loneliness and separateness; not to mention the snow and ice storms that isolate us and deprive us from interaction with others.  Where’s the love in that?!

The sweet taste corresponds to love and love comforts us when we are lonely so, what better way to assuage feelings of loneliness and separateness than with sweet potatoes!

The sweet potato is a root vegetable that corresponds to the earth.  Its nourishing quality enhances our ojas or “life sap.” It provides vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium, and is tonifying for the liver and gallbladder.

Spinach compliments the sweet potato well with its heating quality and bitter and tannic notes, to provide a variety of rasas (tastes) and viryas (energies) for a balanced meal.

Add in tofu for more grounding, protein, and satisfaction to meet your needs for a complete meal stuffed into a spud!

Recipe: Spinach & Tofu Stuffed Sweet Potato

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

2 medium sweet potatoes, baked
1C. steamed spinach
1 C. firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 Tbs. melted ghee
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. mineral salt
*ghee for oiling the baking dish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop out most of the “meat” into a large bowl, being careful not to break the skins and then, set the skins aside.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the extra ghee for oiling the baking dish) to the bowl with the sweet potato and combine well.
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the potato skins and place them into the oiled baking dish.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.