A hearty, filling and delicious salad. This sweet potato kale salad is the perfect warming salad for the colder months. It’s easy to make and is packed full of tasty spiced roasted sweet potatoes, kale, chickpeas, avocado and toasted sunflower seeds. It also keeps well, making it a great option for make ahead cosy lunches for the week.
INGREDIENTS
1 large bunch curly kale*, large stems removed and roughly chopped
1 large sweet potato (or 2 small) diced into small cubes.
1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 avocado
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Roughly 3tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Chilli flakes (to taste)
Healthy pinch of salt
DRESSING
1/3 cup tahini
1 medium lemon, juiced
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup (or sub agave – or honey if not vegan)
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (garlic powder also works here)
Water 3-6 tbsp (or as needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
To begin with you need to massage your kale. Basically, massaged kale means that the kale has literally been massaged with your hands to work in the dressing.Why do we want to do this? Massaging dressing into kale helps to physically break down the tough fibres in the leafy green, making it much softer, tastier, and easier to digest.
To massage kale, you simply:
Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice, and salt over your kale
Using your hands, squeeze and massage the dressing into the kale leaves (much like how you would knead dough).
Once done, cover the bowl of massaged kale and let sit in the fridge for about 30-60 mins this helps to break the fibres down further.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
On a sheet pan, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper and chilli flakes. Spread into a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are browned at the edges.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add pumpkin seeds. Toast seeds, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until they begin to brown and pop. Seeds will burn quickly, so as soon as they begin to brown, remove pan from the heat. Let them cool.
Prepare the tahini dressing. To a medium sized jar, add tahini, lemon juice, and maple syrup, garlic and salt and pepper. Shake to combine. Then slowly add water until creamy and pourable. This dressing can thicken up initially, but continue to add water slowly until it reaches the desired consistency.
Combine the sweet potatoes and chickpeas with the kale, avocado and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Drizzle the tahini dressing on top.
NOTES
The sweet potato can be subbed for any root vegetable or squash.
You can also throw the chickpeas into roast with the sweet potato.
Sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or almonds can be used instead of pumpkin seeds.
I also occasionally add quinoa into this salad.
Throw some dried cranberries in for extra zing.
Top with goats cheese or feta or a vegan cheese.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for 3 days. Do not add avocado until serving in order to prevent browning.