Dinner Under 300 Calories: Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Egg Hash (Plus: How to Dice a Potato)

 

Cook your entire nutrient-packed meal in one skillet– in less than 30 minutes. It is gluten and dairy free, and the vegetables are great leftover: toss them with lettuce for an easy, satisfying lunch. Oh, but you probably won’t have leftover vegetables, so I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it…

In order to make this great meal, you’ll need to dice a couple of sweet potatoes. That doesn’t mean you have to do a lot of annoying chopping: there’s a simple, streamlined way to do it. Let me show you… If this is old hat to you, scroll past the instructions and you right to the recipe.

The Easy Way To Dice a Potato

1. Cut the potato in half lengthwise and put the halves on your board with the flat (cut) side facing down.

2. Cut each half lengthwise into slices. The width of the slices determines the size of your dice.

3. Divide the slices into two piles, and place them with flat side down on the board. (You always want to cut food with it’s flattest side down– it makes it stable and easier to deal with.)

4. Cut the slices lengthwise into strips. You’re almost there…

 

 

5. Cut across the pile of strips every half inch. Voila!

 

 

 

 

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Egg Hash

12 ounces (2 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in ½-inch dice

1 (15-ounce) can low sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 medium onion, chopped (1 to 1 1/2 cups)

1 red bell pepper, cut in ½-inch pieces

1 green bell pepper, cut in ½-inch pieces

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

5 ounces baby spinach

4 large eggs

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the sweet potato in a single layer on a plate; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water and microwave, turning once, until just fork tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Toss chickpeas, onion, bell peppers, paprika, thyme and salt together in a bowl.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron (or other oven proof skillet) over medium high. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook without moving until they are browned on the underside, 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpea mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes; add the spinach in batches. Cook until the onions are translucent and the vegetables lightly browned, another 5 minutes.
5. Make 4 shallow wells in the vegetable mixture; crack an egg in each and place the skillet in the oven. Cook until the egg is just set, about 5-7 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 296 calories, 13 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 495 mg sodium