Welcome back to the world of real life and healthy eating. Today we’re eating our colors!
This roasted sweet potato and kale salad is full of delicious, super healthy veggies that I probably never knew existed until I was a grown up. I’m not even sure kale was a thing before it became a health food darling a while back. Sweet potatoes? Forget about it. Goat cheese? You never knew you’d love it so much.
Now that I’m a grown up I do things like eat goat cheese and watch Call the Midwife. Which really just stresses the crap out of me. Seriously, it’s like a war veteran watching Saving Private Ryan or something. It is so well done it’s disgusting. And beautiful. And now we’re thinking about placentas on a food blog. No? Just me? Annnnnywaaaaays…..
The sweet potatoes were the real highlight of this dish for me, so feel free to roast a few extras if you think you’ll want to pile them high or snack on them straight from the pan (guilty). I always have to serve whole grain dinner rolls alongside a salad (what is wrong with me??) otherwise my mind goes mentally unsatisfied. I really think this salad is enough, but I somehow still want the bread? If your mind just can’t get behind a salad full of veggies for dinner, add the roll or a nice grilled chicken breast.
Kale tip! Hold it by the stem and run two fingers down alongside it. The leaves with easily break away and you can discard the tough stem. I find this much faster and easier than cutting the stem away with a knife.
I enjoyed the dressing best without the cinnamon added, but it can add a nice warm flavor if you’re into that sort of thing. Drizzle the dressing on right before serving, and if you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, drizzling on your salad right before eating.
Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the sweet potatoes
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Zest and juice of one orange
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 5-6 cups stemmed kale, chopped
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Arrange the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet in a single layer and toss with just olive oil to lightly coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until lightly browned and soft, tossing once or twice, 30-45 minutes.
- To make the dressing, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, orange juice and zest, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon if using. I like to stick it in a mason jar and shake, or you could whisk it all together in a small bowl.
- To arrange the salad, divide kale, onion, goat cheese, walnuts, and sweet potato amongst four plates. Drizzle dressing over the top and serve.
Elena Eason says
This recipe was absolutely delicious. The only change I made was with the dressing and used honey instead of maple syrup.
Lindsay Moe says
Great swap! I’m glad you enjoyed it.