Whew, home sweet home. I just got back from an inspiring trip to the IACP Conference in Washington DC, my first trip to our nation’s capital. When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t help but think about Easter weekend upon us, excited to spend some time with my family. And then my brain quickly jumped to the menu, because if you like food, you often wake up thinking about it, right?

We’ll start with these one-bite Sweet Potato Stuffed Mushrooms. And for a sweet finish, I’m gladly baking another AIP Carrot Cake with Whipped Coconut Frosting.

I’ve always made chimichurri (kind of like a pesto, but with no nuts) a little different than most people, adding fresh basil to the usual parsley & cilantro. But I gave it one more twist this time to compensate for not being able to use jalapenos or chili flakes (since they are nightshades, and therefore avoided on the Autoimmune Protocol).

Kale! It worked perfectly with the garlic to give it just the right amount of heat. It’s the perfect contrast for the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

I actually didn’t even have any fresh greens on hand, but you know that corner of your freezer where you have half gone bags of random vegetables? That’s where I found some organic Cascadian Farm kale. I love when I’m able to find a use for things that might otherwise go to waste. I know I’ve let way too many peas and carrots get coated in freezer burn.

Food waste was actually a huge topic of discussion with National Geographic at the conference – 30% of the food we grown is never eaten. That equals out to 2.8 trillion pounds of waste, and $162 billion. And with the population growth expected over the next 35 years, we really really need to make a concerted effort in our kitchens.

Even though I’m pretty careful about food waste, I know I can still do a better job. I’ll keep working on more tasty idea like this to help us, and hopefully we can make a difference.

This recipe is really simple, and you can roast the sweet potato and make the chimichurri two days ahead. Then all you have to do is fill your mushrooms and stick them in the oven for ten minutes to bake.

Hope you have a sunny Easter weekend, and if you have any great recipes that you’ll be making, leave them in the comments below!

Many thanks to Cascadian Organic Farm for sponsoring this post. I’m so grateful they provide all of us with accessible, organic fruits and vegetables. And thank you for understanding that I carefully choose the brands I work with that help make this site possible. All opinions are 100% my own.

Chimichurri Sweet Potato Stuffed Mushrooms (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

makes 24 mushrooms

3/4 cup frozen kale (if using fresh, remove it from stems & chop. then increase water to 1/4 cup)

3/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/3 cup basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

24 mushrooms, stems removed and inside hollow out

1 cup roasted & mashed sweet potato, mixed with 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add kale, cilantro, basil, garlic and chopped onions to a food processor or blender. Pulse several times until well chopped. Add olive oil, water, salt and apple cider. Puree until mostly smooth. It should be spoonable/stirable so add a little water if needed.

Place sweet potato mash in a bowl and lightly fold in about 1/3 cup chimichurri. (You will have some leftover, this is a good thing!) Be careful not to overmix so the puree stays orange.

Add puree to a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners so you can pipe it in or use a frosting gun, which is what I did. You can also just spoon it in, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Line a baking sheet with foil or coat lightly with coconut oil. Place mushrooms facing down so that hollowed out side touches the surface. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove and turn right side up. Fill each with sweet potato mixture and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove and serve warm or at room temperature.

This post is linked to the Paleo/AIP Roundup.