Sweet Potato & Black Bean {veggiestyle} Empanadas

Ever heard of putting black beans and sweet potatoes together in one dish? Probably not. This combination may sound strange, but it is definitely one I will never forget. Previously I have made sweet potato black bean tacos, super easy, super delicious. This time however, an idea sparked, from a commercial nonetheless. Have you seen that Grand's biscuit commercial where they basically show you how to make "unsloppy joes?" From the look of it, they just made an easy american version empanada type dish. I began to wonder what veggie options I could use.  I eventually decided on the sweet potato bean mixture... here's how it goes

Grand's Biscuit Sweet Potato & Black Bean veggiestyle Empanada's 

• 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 can black beans
• 1 medium sweet potato cubed (pretty small)
• 1 pkg Grand's biscuits (I used their whole wheat version)

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add olive oil. Throw in the chopped onions and cook till fragrant. While the onion is heating, bring a pot of water to a boil and cube the sweet potato. Boil the cubed sweet potato until soft enough to mash.

 Add the tablespoon tomato paste and stir. Once well combined, add beans continue to stir. Add the water (I added a little less than 1/3 cup and added some Zing-Zang Bloody Mary mix to fufill the 1/3 cup).  Stir and let sit on low heat for a bit while you flatten out the biscuits.

Remove the biscuits from the package and flatten them. Make sure they are big enough to have a filling in them but not too thin.  I don't think I flattened mine enough, because when they came out of the oven they were a little doughy for my taste.

By this time, your sweet potatoes should be soft enough to mash. Drain the water and mash them in the pot you boiled them in. You might save some of the water, just in case they need to be a little softer. Once they are mashed, add them to the beans and mix well. 

Now you get to fill the flatten biscuits. Use about a tablespoon of the sweet potato black bean mixture and place the mix close to the middle but also to one side of the flattened biscuit. Fold over and seal the edges, you can also use a fork to help seal down the edges. 

Throw those babies in the oven and let them cook for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown.

Since mine turned out kind of doughy I added a little leftover sweet potato, black bean mixture on the top!

I also made two with a banana-nutella mixture. YUM! One package of biscuits makes eight empanadas. I plan on freezing a couple for a later date. 

You can literally put anything in these flatten biscuit, makeshift empanada things, super easy and cheap!!