Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

With a delicious honey-lime dressing, this healthy, hearty salad is a perfect side for chicken, shrimp, pork, steak, etc. It also makes a fabulous (and beautiful) vegetarian meal.

It doesn't take much for me to come up with a new salad idea. I find wonderful inspiration each time I grocery shop. Right now, all the gorgeous fall/winter has been catching my eye and I love having a few easy, healthy meals in my back pocket to compensate for all the indulgent holiday fare that's on the near horizon. Recently, it was the plump, gnarly sweet potatoes that caught my attention. I filled up a bag and quickly picked up a few other ingredients with visions for a sweet potato quinoa salad swirling in my brain.

Roasting is one of my favorite techniques with vegetables. It brings out their sweet, natural sugars. But this time, I decided to try something. I peeled and diced the sweet potatoes and pulled out a large sauté pan. Butter, oil, honey and coriander went in along with the diced veggies. In minutes, I had a pan full of  Caramelized Sweet Potatoes. That's less time than it would have taken to preheat the oven!

Although these beautiful golden veggies make a fabulous side, it was a fall-inspired sweet potato salad I was craving. So, I pulled out cans of black beans and chipotle peppers from the pantry as well as ingredients for the dressing. I already had cilantro and pomegranate and I just happened to have cooked quinoa in the fridge. It didn't take me long to throw together a delicious lunch.

A healthy diet takes a bit of prep work

I find preparing healthy meals is easier if I do a bit of prep work. Early in the week, make a big pot of quinoa and stash it in the fridge for lunches and dinners on the go. It's perfect for this sweet potato salad inspiration. If you think quinoa is too soggy or bitter, check out this post on How to Make Perfect Quinoa. I think you just might change your mind!

What are chipotle peppers?

Well, besides being associated with a famous restaurant chain here in the U.S., they're a delicious ingredient you'll find in the ethnic aisle of most larger grocery stores. A chipotle pepper is simply a jalapeño pepper that's been smoked and dried.

Because working with dried peppers is a bit more labor-intensive, I love to purchase chipotle peppers in cans, already hydrated and prepared. I always keep a can of these peppers stashed away in the pantry, as they're so versatile. The adobo sauce? It's a delicious blend of tomatoes, vinegar and spices and keeps the peppers soft and hydrated.

An easy, delicious dressing!

If you look up "easy" in the dictionary, you just might see a picture of this salad dressing because that's exactly what it is. Throw everything in a jar and shake, shake, shake! See what I mean - crazy easy!

Pomegranate love

To me, pomegranate arils are the jewels of the late fall/early winter season. They add beauty, texture and flavor to salads like this Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad, roasted veggies, appetizers and lots of other things. I love them and use them quite lavishly at this time of year. But I haven't always had such a great relationship with pomegranates. In fact, I was very intimidated by them and hated trying to redeem the messy seeds.

A few years back, I learned a technique that changed everything (at least when it comes to pomegranates). It's a simple technique that allows you to remove the seeds from a pomegranate in less than a minute! With minimal mess! Check out the easy method in the video below:

If you want to eat healthy, despite all the holiday indulgences, add this Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad to your menu rotation. It's so delicious, you feel like you're missing a thing!

Café Tips for making this Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

• I love the flexibility of this salad. First of all, swapping another grain for the quinoa works well. Farro, pearl barley or wild rice are wonderful.
• If you can't find pretty pomegranates, the salad would be equally delicious with dried cranberries or golden raisins.
• Choose the prettiest greens you can find. Arugula, baby spinach, maché and baby kale would all work well.
• I used a combination of pepitas and sunflower seeds as a topping. Feel free to use either one, both or another favorite seed.
• Finally, the chipotle pepper does add a bit of heat. If you don't care for that, just skip it!
• I like to make a big batch of quinoa or farro or barley and stash it in the fridge so it's super easy to put together a salad like this delicious Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad.

Thought for the day:

It is the Lord who goes before you.
He will be with you;
He will not fail you or forsake you.
Do not fear or be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8

What we're listening to for inspiration:

One Desire

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Black Bean Sweet Potato Salad

Chris Scheuer

With its spicy honey-lime dressing, this healthy Black Bean Sweet Potato Salad is perfect for a vegetarian meal, or as a wonderful side to grilled chicken, shrimp or steak.

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 6

Calories 393

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

.5x1x2x

For the dressing:

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chipotle in adobo*
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

• 1 recipe Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
• 2 cups cooked quinoa**, I use this recipe
• 14 ½- ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cilantro, (if you don't like cilantro, use parsley)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 cups arugula
• ½ cup pomegranate arils or seeds
• ½ cup salted, roasted sunflower seeds, pepitas or a combination

Instructions

 

1. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well. Set aside.
2. For the salad, combine quinoa, black beans, cilantro and ¼ cup of the dressing in a medium-large bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Add Caramelized Sweet Potatoes and arugula. Toss gently and divide between four dinner size plates or large, shallow bowls. Garnish with pomegranates and seeds.

Notes

See Café Tips above for further instructions and detailed tips.

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 8gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 602mgPotassium: 420mgFiber: 7gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 879IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 3mg

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Course: Salad, Salad Dressing

Cuisine: American