Sweet Potato Toasts With Hummus, Radish And Sunflower Sprouts

2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 pound each), scrubbed well

Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

½ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton; may substitute za'atar or ground sumac), plus more for sprinkling

½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed

Ice cube

3 tablespoons tahini

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Water (optional)

3 small radishes, thinly sliced

½ cup loosely packed sunflower sprouts (may substitute pea shoots or other sprouts of your choice)

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees.

Trim the pointed ends from the sweet potatoes. Trim off a thin slice from one side of each sweet potato, turning those sides down on the cutting board for slicing stability, then cut the potatoes lengthwise into ¼-inch slices.

Arrange the slices in a single layer on two large rimmed baking sheets. Pierce each slice several times with a fork. (Place those sweet potato trimmings on the baking sheets as well; you can bake as well and save them to eat on salads and in grain bowls, or for dipping into the hummus.)

Scatter half the chickpeas (about 1½ cups) on a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with the tablespoon of oil, the smoked paprika and ¼ teaspoon of the salt until evenly coated.

Bake the sweet potatoes and chickpeas for 10 minutes (upper and lower racks), then flip the sweet potato slices over, and continue baking until the sweet potatoes are barely fork-tender (but not soft) and the chickpeas are lightly browned, for another 10 to 20 minutes. (You want them to remain stiff enough to be picked up for eating.) Transfer them to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, pour ½ cup of the liquid from the cans of chickpeas (aquafaba) into a liquid measuring cup and add the ice cube to it. Discard the rest or save for another use.

Combine the remaining chickpeas, plus the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, the remaining ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ cup of the aquafaba in a blender or mini food processor. Puree until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides and continuing to blend for a few minutes.

With the motor running, slowly pour the remaining ¼ cup of the aquafaba into the chickpea mixture, stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides. The resulting hummus should be light, and about the texture of thick pancake batter. If it's thicker than that, resume blending and slowly pour in a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the right texture. Taste, and add more salt, as needed.

Spread each sweet potato slice with a tablespoon or two of the hummus. Top with the baked chickpeas, radish slices and sunflower sprouts. Drizzle with a little more oil and sprinkle with more smoked paprika.

Serves 6 (makes about 18 toasts)

Nutrition Calories: 340; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 220 mg; Carbohydrates: 58 g; Dietary Fiber: 11 g; Sugars: 7 g; Protein: 12 g.

Based on a recipe in "The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World," by Marco Borges (Harmony Books, 2018).