Bird Food: Twice Baked Cottage Cheese Sweet Potato Recipes

I have invented a tasty, healthy, nutritious recipe that I would like to share with all you triathlete friends. It involves the white sweet potato. In the United States, we usually eat two varieties of sweet potatoes: orange flesh or white flesh. The white flesh potato isn't nearly as sweet as the orange flesh potato with which most people are familiar. When cooked, it has a crumbly texture, similar to a regular baking potato.

The white sweet potatoes are on the right.

While both varieties are delicious, I use the white sweet potato for this recipe. This is because the white has less moisture.

I will offer you three alternatives with my recipe for a twice baked sweet potato. Each one uses the same basic method, but they vary what you mix into the potato. The three are, Apple Cheddar, Onion Cheddar, and Bacon Cheddar.

Apple Cheddar Sweet Potato
-1 large white sweet potato
-1/2 cup cottage cheese
-1 medium apple
-1/4 cup shredded white extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potato for one hour, or until soft. While baking, dice the apple and mix it with the cottage cheese in a large bowl. Remove the potato from the oven, and cut it in half length wise, leaving the bottom and outer skin in tact, for twice baking. Scoop out the hot potato and combine it with the cottage cheese/apple mixture. Gently combine, then fit all the potato, cheese, and apple back into the potato. Top with cheddar. Place back into oven for 20 minutes. Eat.

Onion Cheddar Sweet Potato
-1 large white sweet potato
-1/2 cup cottage cheese
-1/2 sweet onion
-2 tsp. olive oil
-1/4 cup shredded white extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake potato for one hour, or until soft. While baking, thinly slice the onion. Warm the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, and then saute the onion until translucent. Combine sauteed onion with cottage cheese in a large bowl. Remove the potato from the oven, slice in half length wise, but leave the bottom and sides in tact. Scoop out the hot potato, and gently combine with cottage cheese/onion mixture. Put onion/cottage cheese/potato mixture back into the potato skin, and top with the cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then eat.

Bacon Cheddar Sweet Potato
-1 large white sweet potato
-3 slices organic, nitrate-free bacon
-1/8 cup diced scallions
-1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
-1/4 cup shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake potato for one hour, or until soft. While potato cooks, slice bacon into small, bite sized pieces. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the scallions. Cook for a few more minutes, until bacon is crumbly and scallions are lightly fried. Remove potato from the oven, slice in half length wise, being careful to leave bottom and sides in tact. Scoop potato into a large bowl, and combine with bacon, scallions, and shredded fat free cheddar. Scoop the whole mixture back into the potato, then top with the extra sharp cheddar. Bake for 20 more minutes, eat, enjoy.