Foodie Fridays: Red Bean and Sweet Potato Hash

Low-carb breakfasts are hard to plan, especially when you are, like me, allergic to red meat and cannot include any pork-based breakfast foods.  Even eggs lose their appeal after a while!  I found a recipe for Red Bean and Sweet Potato Hash on the Blue Zones website that would make a great breakfast dish.  It could also be served as lunch or a light dinner.  Even though sweet potatoes are mostly carbohydrates, they much healthier than refined carbs and are full of essential vitamins and minerals.

The original recipe calls for mashing the beans, but I think the texture is more interesting with whole beans, so I left this step out (I mashed about half of them with a spoon while cooking the hash, as you have to press down on the mixture anyway).  You could easily change up the seasonings (I might try my favorite smoked paprika or some chili powder next time) and/or the type of beans used.  Cook the sweet potato any way you like as long as you end up with a soft but firm texture (microwaving instructions are included at the end of the recipe).

Red Bean and Sweet Potato Hash

1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato (8 oz.), cooked, peeled, and diced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15 oz.) red beans (any variety), drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer.  Stir in the sweet potato, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Add the beans to the onion mixture and stir to combine.  Cook, stirring frequently and pressing down on the mixture with a spatula, until the bottom is lightly crisped and browned when turned, about 10 minutes.  Serve hot.  Serves 4.

Note: To quickly cook a sweet potato, pierce it with a fork several times.  Place the potato on a microwaveable plate and microwave on HIGH for five minutes, rotating halfway through cooking time.  You may need to microwave it a minute or two longer, depending upon the size of the potato, until it is tender.