Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale and Quinoa Salad: Power pack your nutritrients for the home stretch . . . . .

The count down is on – a few projects and a few exams to go and this frantic whirlwind will be over . . . . . ..

If you want to give yourself a nutrient boost for these last busy  days  –   try this bowl of goodness:

Ingredients

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tsp.  smoked paprika (or chipotle chilli powder)

1 bunch of Kale stripped of fthe stem and ripped into small pieces

1 cup of quinoa

toasted pecans

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 squeezed lime juice

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Put cubed yams in a baking dish and sprinkle mix well with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, smoked paprika and a generous sprinkle of salt.  Bake at 425 degree for 30 minutes turning them half way through.  (Even if you don’t make the rest of the recipe, these are delicious yam nuggets on their own!)

2.  Put one cup of quinoa and one cup of water in a pot.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to  low heat for 15 minutes.  Take off the heat.  stir with a fork and let sit.

3.  Massage the kale leaves –  fondle and rub these leaves until they turn bright green.  This tenderizes them and lets them absorb the dressing!

4.  Add cooked quinoa into your fondled kale.

5. Whisk together the remaining 3 Tbsp. of olive oil, vinegars, lime juice and honey.  Pour over the quinoa and kale.

6.  Add in the roasted yams and fold gently into the quinoa/ Kale mixture and top with toasted pecans if you want some added crunch.

Add salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes to taste.

Ariellelikestocook’s blog has a variation on this recipe and a great description of the powerhouse nutrient values of these ingredients:

http://www.ariellelikestocook.com/home/2013/11/7/kale-quinoa-apple-and-sweet-potato-salad

“For this salad, I use massaged kale as my base. Kale is rich in Vitamin A, C, and K as well as minerals like potassium, iron, and phosphorus. Basically, it’s a powerhouse food with very little calories, making it the perfect raw base for this recipe. I love the addition of sweet potatoes to this recipe because it lends a sweet, creaminess that is enhanced by the shallots they’re roasted with. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and Vitamin C, plus provide a good amount of fiber and potassium. Quinoa is great in this recipe because it adds a nice heartiness and bulks up the salad. Quinoa is a wonderful grain because it’s a complete protein. It’s also high in iron and calcium.”

And here is yet on other variation.  The addition of cranberries  makes this a colourful holiday side-dish:

http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2014/02/roasted-sweet-potato-quinoa-and-kale-salad.html