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We got home last week and I immediately started thinking about post-vacation recovery foods. Kale salads, green juices… that sort of thing. That is until Jack announced that he was craving bread. Which sounded good, so bread we had. This cozy little crostini turned out to be perfect for our lazy, rainy weekend. (Kale salad, on the side).
This sweet potato spread – it’s halfway to hummus. It’s thicker and has a stronger tahini flavor, which was a nice contrast to the light & airy ricotta. It’s also a convenient way to use up a bit of leftover baked sweet potato and a partial can of chickpeas. Which were the lazy-person ingredients I happened to have on hand.
sweet potato tahini crostini
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Author: Jeanine Donofrio
Serves: serves 3-4 as an appetizer
Ingredients
for the sweet potato-tahini spread:
- ½ cup cooked & mashed sweet potato
- 2-3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup cooked chickpeas
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- a squeeze of lemon
- salt & pepper
for the crostini:
- 8 half-pieces of bread, toasted or grilled
- ½ cup good quality ricotta and a squeeze of lemon
- a few sage leaves, chopped (optional: fry them)
- coarse salt
- optional toppings: handful of toasted pepitas, drizzle of honey or olive oil, sprinkle of red chile flakes
Instructions
- In a small food processor, blend together the ingredients for the sweet potato spread.Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Top grilled bread with a bit of the spread, a dollop of ricotta, chopped sage, a drizzle of honey, and a few pinches of coarse salt.
Notes
Feel free to play with different spice/herb variations: Cayenne, cumin, and/or dried coriander would be nice mixed into the spread. Or switch out the sage with rosemary or thyme... whatever you like. I think a bit of toasted sesame oil would pair nicely with the tahini (although I wouldn't pair that with ricotta).
vegan option: skip the ricotta and add more chickpeas to the spread to make it a bit lighter, if necessary.
vegan option: skip the ricotta and add more chickpeas to the spread to make it a bit lighter, if necessary.
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Love the added sweet potatoes in the spread
This looks absolutely delicious. Wonderful easy appetizer for Thanksgiving, yes? Shared on FB and Pinterest so I can find it again and again.
yes! It would be a great thanksgiving appetizer (you could even make the components ahead of time), hope you like!
Viva la sweet potato…love them as fresh cut fries drizzled with coconut oil, salt & cumin…happy feasting!
I looove tahini and sweet potatoes! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks x
I may like the sweet potato spread even more than hummus. I’m trying to think of other ways to use it (I made a double batch, as 1 sweet potato made about 1 cup mashed). The fried sage is a nice garnish.
Wow, this looks amazing! Love the sweet potato spread! Great recipe! Pinned!
This sounds (and looks!) so good. While I love tahini, I rarely use it in cooking. Do you have a suggestion of what brand to use? Hulled, unhulled, roasted, raw, salted, unsalted??? Yikes!
Hi Ame, right now I’m using Whole Foods’365 brand tahini. The package doesn’t say whether it’s hulled or unhulled, but it is roasted. Hope that helps!
Sounds absoloutley wonderful!!! Will definitely make this 🙂
If you have a moment, do you mind checking my log out please? Thanks!
Well aren’t these just the most adorable crostini ever! So elegant and beautiful! Pinned!
this spread is so tasty and I am enjoying it right now. thanks for this wonderful recipe!
This looks great. I have been enjoying my cashew cheese spread on toast in the mornings but I might change over to this once it’s done.
Thank you for this great recipe! I adore anything with sweet potato. Surely, this will be added to my list of favorite sweet potato recipes, along with this scrumptious casserole:
http://celebritychef.tv/2013/07/18/uncle-leos-yam-casserole/
This would make such a great quick snack!