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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
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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So perfect! That colour!
Looks super delicious! Bookmarked.
loving everything in this crostini 🙂
Sounds delicious!
I love this hummus hybrid!
So pretty and so delicious! I love the flavors! what a creative idea!
This is very imaginative and so pretty! The flavors sound like they would mesh beautifully. Bookmarking it now! I loved hearing about your trip, too, by the way and all the tales of Japanese cuisine.
Must not read your blog at 5 pm unless I have time for a grocery run. All I can think is how soon can I make this happen?? YUM.
ha, sorry!
These crostini sound so good–sweet and savory all at once! I’m definitely going to keep this one in mind this fall. 🙂
I’m throwing a pumpkin themed party in a week. What are your thoughts on using a pumpkin puree in place of sweet potato? …Though I would consider squeezing sweet potato into the theme since it fits the orange and Autumn theme!
Hi Lys,
Yes! Pumpkin, butternut squash… they’d all work just fine. (fresh, not puree from a can). Sounds like a fun party!!
I love crostinis, any excuse to eat more bread, really, and love this idea for a lighter sort of hummus. Paired with the ricotta that sounds amazing.
Divine! I love crostinis/tartines. Love the added sweet potatoes in the spread 🙂
Oh goodness! I’m the tahini queen so this looks just perfect! I bet cashew ricotta would be a yummy vegan option but the spread alone sounds divine.
I think cashew ricotta would be a delicious sub!
Welcome back! There’s is always a bit of an adjustment period after a long spell away from home. It usually takes me a few weeks to really get back into the grove of things. But your Japan trip was awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I love your sweet potato spread–I’m always looking for more ways to use sweet potatoes.
Thanks, I’m glad you liked the Japan posts… yep, I’m definitely having a hard time getting back into the swing of things!
Sounds killer good…and thanks for not actually calling this hummus!
ha, yea, I didn’t really know what to call it without making the title too long 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration! I have a giant jar of tahini that I need to use up right now! 🙂
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I love the beautiful color of the spread! I agree, it feels good to travel but always good to be back into a regular eating routine : )
This is such a neat idea!! Love it!
Wow I love it! It must be good to be back and back to normal routine (as good as Japan is, I think home is always were the heart is)
I love using cashew butter in sweet potato spreads. For more of Asian feel when you use ginger, soy and coriander but I guess you sick of asian food.
love those ideas! Ha, yep, I thought I would take a teeny break from asian food, although I’ll have a bunch of Japanese inspired recipes coming up soon 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE! Your pictures are wonderful…. love the idea of making a hummus-like sweet potato spread. Super creative, I love it.