Craving a gorgeous and warming kale sweet potato salad? I sure am! The colder months have me in a bit of a pickle, because I love my fresh summer salads, but it’s just too darn cold to be eating cold food! Cue this warming and beautifully spiced salad made with kale, quinoa, and sweet potato. Drizzled with a spiced Moroccan-inspired dressing that’s infused with cinnamon, ginger, cumin and coriander.
We absolutely adore this fall/winter inspired salad in our household! Me, because it’s wholesome and nutritious, and Mr. Two Spoon’s because it’s a hearty salad that sticks with you. This salad is a perfect starter or side dish to your upcoming Holiday celebrations, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas. All-in-all, it’s a wholesome dish to impress.
Or, enjoy this kale sweet potato salad as your main for a simple mid-week recipe. (It also makes for delicious next-day leftovers for lunch! If you have any left, that is).
So, let me tell you exactly how to make this gorgeous kale sweet potato salad, so that you can get indulging pronto!
Kale Sweet Potato Salad
The ingredients:
What I love so much about this recipe is how simple and wholesome the ingredients are. There is nothing strange or finicky; just some simple veg and a well-stocked spice rack.
Because the ingredients are so simple, it’s likely you can find them all at your local grocery store; and that nobody will be intimidated at your holiday gatherings to dive in! (Tofu just doesn’t get a pass with my in-laws, but sweet potato always get’s the green light!).
For this recipe, you will need:
- quinoa
- sweet potatoes
- olive oil
- sea salt
- cinnamon
- cumin
- dried coriander
- chickpeas
- kale
- dried goji berries (or dried cranberries)
- red pepper flakes
As for the dressing, you will need:
- olive oil
- orange juice, freshly squeezed
- maple syrup
- cinnamon
- ginger
- cumin
- dried coriander
- sea salt
- red pepper flakes
As you can see, there is nothing strange or finicky about these ingredients. All-in-all, you’re looking at 14 ingredients (including all the seasoning and spices) to make this stellar salad recipe. And likely, you have most of them in your pantry.
Kale Sweet Potato Salad: Tips and Notes
Now, making this sweet potato salad couldn’t be simpler! Which is why I have given it my newbie cook stamp of approval. Anyone can make this recipe, whether you’re new to cooking or experienced.
And if you are new to cooking, here are some helpful tips for nailing this recipe.
How to cook perfect quinoa
It can feel a little intimidating cooking quinoa for the first time, if you’re not used to it. Some people describe their endeavour as too mushy or too tough.
If it’s too mushy, it’s likely that you’ve over cooked the quinoa. If it’s too tough, it’s likely that you’ve undercooked it, or that the quinoa needed to be rinsed before using.
Nowadays it’s normal to buy quinoa pre-rinsed. However, it doesn’t hurt giving it a rinse in a sieve before adding to your pot of water. A lot of people say that this helps to create fluffier quinoa, and helps to break down the hard shell.
In my person opinion, I don’t notice a difference with the rinsing. In fact, I rarely rinse my quinoa unless I buy it in bulk. (One time I experienced a harder quinoa from a bulk store in France. But literally, this was just one time).
What really makes it light and fluffy is to cover the cooked quinoa (when finished) with a tea towel for 10 minutes, (off the heat).
Cook the quinoa with a 2:1 ratio (water to quinoa) on a consistent simmer, with the lid on for 12 to 15 minutes. Then, place the tea towel overtop of the saucepan and put the lid back on top. In 10 minutes you will have the fluffiest, lightest, perfectly textured quinoa.
This is my fool-proof tip for a fluffy quinoa! And in turns out that Food52 recommends the same approach. (S’cuse me while I dust my shoulders off).
Cookie and Kate also recommends some great tips for the perfect quinoa if you’re interested in learning more.
Roasting the sweet potatoes
Another tip I love for ensuring this recipe is well spiced and full of flavour is to flavour the sweet potatoes while roasting. I like to toss the sweet potatoes in my spice mix (explained in detail in the recipe below) and then roasted until golden. In my opinion, the flavours meld together better as they cook for a perfectly infused kale sweet potato salad.
Other recipes you might like:
If you’re digging this salad recipe, you might also like:
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Kale Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Moroccan Carrot Chickpea Salad
- Harvest Kale Caesar Salad
So there we have it! A simple and delicious Kale Sweet Potato Salad recipe that you can enjoy during the cooler months. We don’t need to say goodbye to our salads in the Fall/Winter, we simply need to change the style of salad we eat! This one is warm and hearty, and beautifully spiced with a moroccan inspired dressing.
Enjoy this salad as a delicious side dish for your Holiday entertaining. Or, as a simple mid-week main. I know you’re going to love this recipe as much as we do.
And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
Kale Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 cups water
- 4 sweet potatoes (1 lb)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander dried
- 1 can chickpeas (14 fl. oz/400 ml), drained and rinsed
- 3 oz chopped kale
- 1/3 cup goji berries
- pinch red pepper flakes
- pinch sea salt and pepper to taste
Spiced Moroccan Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tbsp
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried coriander
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a saucepan combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes. Fluff with a spoon and cover with a kitchen towel. Let cool.
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Chop the sweet potatoes into small bite-sized cubes and toss in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, sea salt, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander. Mix to combine.
- Line baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the sweet potatoes onto the tray, ensuring they are not overcrowded. (You might need two baking trays for this). Roast for 35 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are golden and you can easily poke into the middle with a fork.
- Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, sea salt and red pepper flakes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped kale, chickpeas, goji berries, quinoa and sweet potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Optional to add more red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
VEGAN – GLUTEN-FREE – SOY-FREE – REFINED-SUGAR FREE – NUT-FREE
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