spicy roasted sweet potato feta and kale salad
A fall-themed salad sans punching you in the nuts with apple or pumpkin!
I think it’s obligatory now that I share a salad of some kind once a week. Most of us need more greens anyway, so why not? With the advent of fall, many recipes will get richer, more rib-sticking, probably including more cheese. So a few extra bowls of veggies won’t hurt anyone, I don’t think.
I drew inspiration from a southwest-ish flavor profile, but I wouldn’t call this a southwest salad. The only components it shared with such a profile are black beans and avocado. Maybe a ~new American-style southwest salad~? I dunno. That sounds dumb.
Whatever you want to call it, at least call it yum. A wholesome side dish to pair with any bowl of pasta, any casserole, or to save for Thanksgiving if you’re thinking that hard about the holidays already. This vegetarian bowl is loaded up with crunchy pepitas, creamy avocado, and chipotle-spiced roasted sweet potatoes, and the kale bed gets massaged in my favorite maple mustard vinaigrette that you can use in pretty much any salad you encounter.
Sounds like a salad is gonna mug you on the street and the only way to combat its rage is to spray maple mustard vinaigrette all over it. I mean, nowadays, who the fuck knows what kinds of crime you’ll find?
You’re Sweet, Potato
I love the seasoning blend on the sweet potatoes – it’s more or less a barbecue-style flavoring. Some dark brown sugar, smoky paprika, chipotle chili powder, and cumin, as well as garlic and onion powders. Hearty and perfect for all upcoming.
Wash and scrub your sweet taters until they’re sparkling clean, then rub dry with paper towels. Dice em up, toss with olive oil and your seasoning blend, and roast on a baking sheet at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Sweet potatoes don’t really get “crispy”, but the seasonings should caramelize and the tubers soften.
While the potatoes cook, mix up the dressing. Olive oil, cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Start conservative with the S&P and add more if needed.
Ballad of the Salad
Once the taters are done, you’re pretty much ready to put together the bowl.
Kale is great for this salad since it’s sturdy enough to hold up to dressings, even when mixed ahead of time. Hence, perfect for meal prep. No wilting in the fridge, woo!
Chop up your kale, add to a large bowl, and massage with a few spoonfuls of dressing. Kneading the leaves removes some of the bitterness and gritty crunch. Throw in your sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado, pepitas, and feta. Mix it up until well incorporated.
Dish up the salad as is, with extra vinaigrette on the side. I like to leave some of the feta and avocado out of the prior mixing bowl to top the salad and make it look all purdy when I serve. If you’re meal prepping, simple omit the avocado and add to each meal prep container the day you plan to eat. A brown avocado, while edible, might look a bit offputting.
Meal prepped salads will keep about 5 days, by the way. Nice long shelf life.
Good subs for pepitas: sunflower seeds, walnuts, chopped pecans. Honestly, almost any seed or nut would work. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.
And sometimes you feel like taking an hour to write a blog post because you keep getting up and walking away from your computer for no good reason. Guess that means I should wrap this shit up, then.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Hey sweetie:
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spicy roasted sweet potato feta and kale salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 6 cups kale, roughly torn
- 2/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pepitas (or sunflower seeds)
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
maple mustard vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the brown sugar, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes until crisp on the edges, tossing once half way through baking time.
- In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake together the olive oil, cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, oregano, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Add the kale and cilantro to a large bowl. Massage with 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing until the kale darkens and softens. Throw in the sweet potatoes, black beans, pepitas, feta, and avocado. Toss until well combined.
- Transfer to a serving platter and top with extra feta and pepitas, as desired. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
