Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad is a nutritious salad that's full of pleasant flavors, textures and packed with proteins that keep you full for longer without doing a lot of work. Serve it as a side dish.
servings
Ingredients
For Salad
- 1 ½ lb sweet potatoes skin peeled and cubed into ½ inch size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 medium avocado chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
For Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Place the sweet potato cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle them with olive oil, then add paprika, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together until well coated.
- Spread the seasoned sweet potatoes over the parchment paper on the baking tray. Roast them for 18-20 minutes, or until they are nicely roasted. Once done, allow the roasted sweet potatoes to cool.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooling, prepare the salad dressing. In a separate bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- In a large bowl, add the roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, black beans, avocado, cranberries, almonds, and cilantro. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad and toss to combine everything.
- Serve the salad with extra dressing on the side.
Notes
- Do not mix the dressing until you are ready to eat.
- Prepare in advance: Prepare all your ingredients before starting. This includes chopping the sweet potatoes, cooking the quinoa, and having all the salad components ready. It makes the process smoother.
- Don't overcook quinoa: When cooking quinoa, be careful not to overcook it. It should be tender but still have a slight bite (al dente). Overcooking can make it mushy.
- Customize dressing: Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. Adjust the sweetness or acidity as needed by adding more maple syrup or lime juice.
- Mix gently: When combining all the salad ingredients, mix gently. Overmixing can cause the avocado to become mushy, and you want to maintain the integrity of the ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 853mg | Potassium: 1229mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 24421IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 4mg
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