Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Years ago, my husband and I spent A LOT of time at the Sea House Restaurant on Napili Bay enjoying their amazing Happy Hour. Back in the day, they had this incredible “small plate” menu and everything on it was between $5 and $7 bucks! For Maui, this was an absolute STEAL and during the Great Recession, it was very much appreciated. I have a post about the Sea House Happy Hour on my old blog HERE if you would like to check it out. Sorry in advance for my poor quality blog pics back in 2010 but the food was seriously AMAZING!

My favorite item on the Happy Hour menu was the Molokai Sweet Potato Quesadilla and OMG, it was so freaking good!

Over the years, the menu at the Sea House has changed. ( Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great place for Happy Hour ) but they no longer have my favorite quesadilla (sad face). But to be completely honest, I wouldn’t be able to eat it anymore because it contained cheese. Luckily, it’s been pretty easy to recreate this quesadilla at home. Over the years I figured out a delicious way to veganize it and make it a whole lot healthier in doing so.

Here’s my updated version below. Enjoy!

Molokai Sweet Potato Quesadillas - Make 4 - 5 small quesadillas

• 1 large purple sweet potato ( Molokai or Okinawan ) a regular sweet potato or yam would work as well. Cubed, steamed, and then mashed.

• 1/2 small onion, diced ( I used a sweet Maui onion )

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 bell pepper, diced

• 1 cup shredded spinach

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• juice of 1/2 lime

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese ( Violife is good ) This is totally optional. I opted out today.

• 4-5, 6” corn, cassava flour ( pictured ) or regular flour tortillas

Toppings

• guacamole

• salsa fresca

• vegan sour cream ( homemade version HERE )

• hot sauce

• cilantro/chives

To prepare

*Peel sweet potato, cube, and steam in a steamer basket until easily pierced with a fork ( about 15 minutes ). Remove from heat and then mash cubed sweet potato with a potato masher or fork until “creamy” ( you may add a little water if need be ) then set aside.

*In a large non-stick skillet on med-high heat, saute diced onions, minced garlic, and diced bell pepper in about 1 Tb of water until translucent ( about 5 minutes ) You may use 1 tsp avocado or coconut oil instead of water if you prefer. Next, sprinkle on 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chili powder, squeeze on lime juice, add 1 cup of shredded spinach, and 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and saute for about 1 minute ( or until greens are wilted ). Remove from heat and then fold the cooked veggies into the sweet potato mash. Taste and sprinkle in more salt if needed.

*Heat tortillas on a hot grill pan or skillet until soft. Remove from heat and then place about 1/2 cup of the sweet potato and veggie mash on one half of the tortilla. Add a sprinkle of vegan cheese if desired here. Then fold tortilla over mixture and place back on grill or skillet until the quesadilla crisps up a bit ( about 2 minutes ). Flip and grill the other side of the quesadilla.

*Remove quesadilla from heat and plate with desired toppings.