I don't quite know how I came up with this recipe. I think it was one of those dinner times when I wasn't sure what I fancied, and I just combined a few different meals into one, but boy-oh-boy does it really work. It's quite a mix of different flavours, and when you're reading the title, I agree that it sounds like a bit of a mouthful (excuse the pun!) Smashed sweet potatoes, with garlicky cauliflower steaks, with a balsamic-coated mixture of chickpeas and vegetarian bacon cubes, finished with a homemade fresh pesto...I will agree with you and say it's a lot. But when you get a bite of everything together..ugh it's so delicious. It's a bright explosion in your mouth, and it's ready in under 40 minutes.

Trying Something New

If you're a lover or sweet potatoes, then 1.) put your hands right up and 2.) tell me whether you have tried smashing them yet. And by smashing, I honestly and quite literally mean smashing them down so that the inside bursts out of the jacket. If you haven't then you're onto something new here. The only way I can describe it to you is like mashed sweet potato, with the crispiness and charred-flavour of the golden baked skin, and drizzled with some fresh lime juice, it's particularly outstanding. Prepare to get a little messy, but the fun of doing it is also quite therapeutic and just worth a try. And for many, this could be one of the first times you mix chickpeas and veggie bacon with cumin seeds and balsamic vinegar but, again, it's a winning combination, and they all just work so well together.

I strongly urge you to give this recipe a go, and it's a particularly great dish to prepare and enjoy with friends. You'll never know until you try...