Sweet Potato Bites With Ras El Hanout Chickpeas and Minty Cashew Ricotta

My friend at Inland Empire Spice in Spokane, WA sent me a bag of their new Ras El Hanout blend to try out and I am ever so grateful! Here is a recipe for an appetizer (or a side, or a special snackie - whatever!) using this blend of Moroccan inspired flavors - turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, rose petals and more! My whole family (even my very particular son) loves the flavor. There are so many ways to use this blend - stay tuned because next week, I hope to have another recipe to share.

Something to keep in mind with the cashew ricotta is that the cashews need time to soak. You could just pop them in the water the night before and refrigerate.

I wanted to experiment beyond my “cooking comfort zone” with this, and I’m super happy with the result. I hope you try it sometime and thanks so much for taking the time to check in at Brookie Leigh’s.

Author: Brooke McKasson

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Sweet Potato Bites with Ras El Hanout Chickpeas and Minty Cashew Ricotta

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potatoes

• 1 large or 2 smaller orange-flesh sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the Chickpeas

• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp Ras El Hanout
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• lime zest from 1 lime
• juice from 1/2 lime
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Minty Cashew Ricotta

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup water
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp plain dairy free yogurt (I used Cocoyo Pure)
• Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste
• 4-5 small mint leaves, minced

For the Garnish

• 1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp mint leaves, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

Instructions

To Make the Sweet Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Cut the sweet potatoes in 1/4-1/2 inch circles and place in a medium bowl, cover with ice water and soak for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
3. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the sweet potatoes and mix thoroughly
4. Roast the sweet potato slices in a single layer on parchment for about 25 minutes - turning halfway through - watch closely because this step really depends on your oven and how quickly they will cook.
5. Remove from oven and set aside.

To Make the Minty Cashew Ricotta

1. Cover the cashews in a bowl with water for about 4 hours (or a quicker method is to soak for 5 minutes in hot water)
2. Drain the cashews and add into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients except the mint leaves to a blender, and blend on high until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Mince the mint leaves and stir into the ricotta mixture.

To Make the Chickpeas

1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Add all of the ingredients except the parsley to the chickpeas and stir to combine.
3. Heat a medium skillet on medium-high head and add the chickpeas. Saute until nice and brown (3-5 minutes), then sprinkle with parsley. Stir to combine and turn off the heat.

To Assemble and Garnish

1. Arrange the sweet potato slices on a tray, top each with cashew ricotta, then the chickpeas.
2. Garnish with the parsley and mint leaves, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Did you make this recipe?

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