It's fall, which in my book means that a whole new array of vegetables are in season. This salad features all of your favorite fall vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and kale. The potatoes are spicy and the beets are mildly sweet. Toss in our Roasting Chickpeas recipe into this salad, and thank me later. The chickpeas add delicious flavor, texture, and protein of course. The salad is made a Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette which ties everything together. The dressing is tangy with some faint sweet hints from the maple syrup which brings out the best flavors from the vegetables.
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes:
SERVINGS: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
6 oz. chopped kale
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 cup chopped beets
1 cup roasted chickpeas with paprika (click here for recipe)
About 1 teaspoon paprika (add more/less to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Maple Apple Cider Vinagrette:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 red onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1/4 of an avocado or 2 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Lemon juice (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 375° F. Poke holes in your sweet potato using a fork. Place the potato in a bowl and cover using a microwave cover. Microwave the potato for about 5 minutes. While the microwave cooks, prepare a baking pan by lining it with foil. Remove the potato and cut it into cubes. Toss in a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a generous amount of paprika. Spread the potatoes out on your baking pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Half way through the bake time, rotate and give the pan a little shake to flip the pieces.
Kale: While the potatoes cook, start preparing your kale. If there are any larger stems, remove them. Then add the kale to a salad bowl along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, and about a half teaspoon of salt. With clean hands, massage* the kale for 3-5 minutes. The kale should shrink down after about 5 minutes.
Dressing: Set the kale aside and start making the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
Assembly: Add the cooked sweet potatoes, chopped beets, and chickpeas to the kale. Slowly start adding the dressing to the salad and toss as you go. You may not need all of the dressing. Toss the salad well and serve.
NOTES:
*massaging your kale breaks it down making it easier to digest and chew