Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale & Quinoa Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

- Amanda

Thanksgiving week is here. Doesn’t quite have the same feel as those before, right? But I think we’re all still trekking on one way or another and hopefully getting ready for some yummy eats, if you plan to celebrate. And even if you don’t or perhaps don’t have your menu finalized, today’s recipe is one fab salad that really is holiday worthy or just plain fantastic for any day, especially one this time of year.

This Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale & Quinoa Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing has it all. Sweet from the fork-tender sweet potatoes, pomegranate and cranberries, a slight tang from the deliciously pickled onions, crunch from the pumpkin seeds, a salty bite from the feta and a pop of fresh from the parsley and mint. Then the dressing, well, it’s just eat-right-from-the-spoon good is all I need to say. And the kale and quinoa, while they bring it all together, all add one heck of a power punch making this a nutrient-rich side to your feast or a perfect main dish all on it’s own.

The salad starts with roasting some chopped sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes. And while those get yummy and slightly soft, the dressing gets prepped by just whisking up some tahini, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, dijon, a little salt, pepper and some olive oil and a dash of chili powder if desired.

Then it’s on to massaging the chopped kale with just a dash of olive oil to remove any bitterness from the greens. A simple step that goes a long way.

Once your sweet potatoes are out of the oven and cooling, the kale gets tossed with the dressing and quinoa. Then the rest of the ingredients get thrown in the mix with the crumbled feta being sprinkled on last. The flavors in this are so so good. But the effort is really pretty minimal.

And the best part, it can all be prepped a day in advance and just tossed together right before serving. How awesome is that. And in truth, if you have some already tossed leftovers, they’re still pretty darn perfect the next day as well. The beauty of kale greens. Love them.

I truly hope you will give this recipe a go. It’s my fav and I think it could become yours too. And of course, if you make it, I’d be so grateful to know how it goes.

Happy Monday and thanks so much for stopping by!

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Kale, Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Author Amanda – A Treat Life

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato, cubed (peeling is optional)
  • 1 1/2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale, stemmed & finely chopped (about 4-5 cups chopped kale)
  • 2 cups cooked & cooled quinoa
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup pickled onions * (see below)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Maple Tahini Dressing

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbps maple syrup
  • 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 4-6 tbsps extra-virgin olove oil
  • pinch chili powder (optional)

For Pickled Red Onions:

  • 1 lg red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsps granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt
  • 1 whole cloves
  • pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F/ 204C. (If making the Pickled Red Onions, start with those.)

  2. Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over them then add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. Then spread evenly on the pan and roast for about 20-25minutes, stirring halfway through, until sweet potatoes are fork tender.

  3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, chop your kale, add it to a large bowl and massage with the 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil for about a minute. Set aside.

  4. For the Maple Tahini Dressing- In a small bowl add the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil and whisk until smooth. Then drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously. Season as necessary with a little more salt, pepper or lemon juice if desired.

  5. Add the dressing and the quinoa to the chopped kale and toss to combine. Then once the sweet potatoes are done and slightly cooled, add them along with the rest of the salad ingredients, minus the feta, and give another gentle toss. Top with the feta & Enjoy!

For the Pickled Red Onions:

  1. In a small pot, add all of the ingredients for the onions except the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over a medium flame then turn off the heat and let sit until cooled, about 30 minutes to an hour. Once cool, add the red pepper flakes if desired and transfer to a jar with a lid to store in the refrigerator. (They can be kept in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.) ** If you like crunchier pickled onions, add the sliced onions to the hot liquid after you turn the heat off.

Recipe Notes

*If making this ahead of time, keep all the ingredients separate and toss just before serving.