Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
This sweet potato quinoa salad combines a delicious mix of flavours and textures that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
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Servings: 4 people
Calories: 433kcal
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Sheet pan
- Oven
- Stove top
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (see note 1)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 700g sweet potato (1.5 pounds)
- ¾ cup cooked lentils (or ½ tin, drained and rinsed - see note 2)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp sumac
- 80g goat's cheese (3 ounces)
- ¼ cup roasted almonds, chopped
- 3 cups mixed greens (arugula/rocket, baby spinach etc)
- 1 tbsp za'atar (or dukkah)
- ½ tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup coriander/cilantro, finely chopped to sprinkled over assembled salad
For the creamy tahini dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
Make the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil, tahini, lime juice, honey (see note 3), crushed garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined. Set aside while you make the salad.
To make the salad
- Peel the sweet potato and cut into wedges about 2.5cm/1 inch thick. Pour over 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin, smoked paprika, sumac, salt and pepper. Toss everything well to combine.
- Spread the wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
- Once the potatoes are in the oven combine the quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and the liquid is completely absorbed. Once done, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
- Arrange the cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, lentils and your greens of choice in layers on a serving tray (or add to a large bowl). Pour the dressing over the salad then sprinkle the goat's cheese, chopped roasted almonds, cilantro/coriander, and za’atar or dukkah over the top.
- Serve straight away once dressed so the greens don't wilt and the quinoa doesn't become soggy.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Rinsing the quinoa VERY well is extremely important so it doesn't taste bitter and soapy. To do this - add the quinoa place into a large pot, cover it with water and agitate with your hand until it becomes foamy. Rinse through a fine mesh sieve and repeat three or four times. Strain through the fine mesh sieve the final time and run some water through it to remove any remaining saponin residue.
Note 2: Lentils are delicious with this salad but they can be replaced with any legume you have. Chickpeas, black beans, or kidney beans for example all work well. If using these bigger beans, I suggest adding one cup.
Note 3: If you've made my fermented garlic honey, this makes an excellent substitute for the garlic and honey in this recipe. I suggest using double the amount of garlic and honey because both will have mellowed in the fermentation process. So use 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 or 3 of the garlic cloves. Chop these up because they'll be too soft for mincing.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for a day or two but not longer because the greens wilt in the fridge once you dress the salad, making them much less palatable.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1032mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 6mg
