Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Macadamia Ricotta

Ingredients

For the macadamia nut “ricotta”:

• 1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for at least 2 hours and up to 10, drained (substitute cashews if you don’t have macadamia nuts)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash black pepper
• Scant 1/2 cup water

For the sweet potatoes:

• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash black pepper
• 1/4 cup rosemary (no need to chop)
• 1/3 cup pomegranate arils

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork a few times (about 3 pricks per potato). Place them on parchment or foil-lined baking sheets, and roast for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. While the potatoes roast, prepare the ricotta. Place the macadamia nuts (or cashews) in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Add all remaining ingredients. Process until the mixture is creamy and smooth, stopping a few times to scrape the bowl down as you go. Once the mixture is very even in consistency, set it aside.

3. Very gently, so as not to damage the potato skins, scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins with a spoon and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until the potatoes are mashed, but still thick and with some texture. Fold in 3/4 cup of the macadamia ricotta, reserving a heaping quarter cup for garnish. Season the mashed potato mixture to taste, and scoop it back into the skins.

4. Place the skins on freshly lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with rosemary (if you prefer fresh rosemary, garnish the potatoes with it after baking). Bake the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browning. Sprinkle the potatoes with the pomegranate seeds and dot them with the extra macadamia ricotta. Serve.