Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Pomegranate Pumpkin Dressing

Yesterday during our afternoon off from work, Tim and I got crafty in the kitchen. We received giant sweet potatoes in our CSA last week, and we also had a ton of pomegranate seeds left over from last week’s food prep, so we wanted to make a lunch for the week that used both. Here’s what we came up with!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Pomegranate Pumpkin Dressing

Serves 4-5 as a main meal or 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
• Half a small red onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, diced (or a quart container of mini peppers)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the dressing:

• 6 tbsp pomegranate juice
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a bowl, toss the cut up sweet potatoes in 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to two large baking sheets. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Make sure to check on them halfway through and flip so the sweet potato cooks evenly.
3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make your dressing. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the pomegranate juice, red wine vinegar, pumpkin seed oil, maple syrup, and salt and pepper.
4. When the sweet potatoes are done, transfer to a large bowl, and add the onion, pepper, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, and cilantro.
5. Pour the dressing mixture over the salad and mix well. Make sure to pour slowly and taste as you go to avoid over-dressing. I recommend pour and tasting about 2-3 different times.
6. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, and enjoy!

You might be thinking that pomegranate and pumpkin aren’t flavors that go well together, but when you take one awesome flavor and combine it with another awesome flavor… yeah. Double awesomeness. Using pumpkin seed oil in the dressing provides a nice contrast against the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, and pomegranate juice. The diced peppers, pomegranate seeds, and pumpkin seeds add a nice crunch, and of course, I like anything with cilantro in it. For those of you who don’t like cilantro, you could sub in parsley, and for those of you who might not have pumpkin seed oil at home, feel free to use olive oil instead (may have to add a little more).

I love how colorful and nutritious this dish is, and I can’t wait to have it for lunches this week! If you make this, snap some pretty pictures and post to social media. Would love to see your versions!

Readers, let’s chat! What’s your favorite flavor? A-sweet potato, B-pomegranate, or C-pumpkin?!

Luckily, this dish doesn’t make you decide. 😉

Sweet Potato Quinoa with Thai Chili Dressing

Hello! I have a new recipe to share with you guys today.

Sweet Potato Quinoa with Thai Chili Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch discs
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 ears of corn
• Half a red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Cooking spray

For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp thai chili paste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and turn the grill on to medium heat.
2. Add the quinoa to 2 cups of water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until done.
3. In bowl, toss the cut up sweet potatoes in the tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and then spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil. Cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, grill the ears of corn until fork tender, turning the corn to char on each side. In total, this should take around 8 minutes. You can cook the corn however you want (stove top or in the oven), but we chose to grill.
5. In a small bowl, mix all the salad dressing ingredients together. You could also do this step in a mason jar and shake well.
6. Once the quinoa, sweet potatoes, and corn are all done, combine in a large bowl with the pepper, red onion, and parsley, then season with salt and pepper.
7. Toss with the dressing, and enjoy!

For a cold salad, the warmth of the thai chili paste in this meal comes through pretty prominently without being too spicy. This is definitely a fresh salad thanks to the parsley and pepper, but you still get a nice hearty feel through the sweet potatoes as well.

It’s perfect for a packed lunch during the rainy week we’re having here in Boston. Plus, FIVE of these ingredients are from our CSA. Go us!

–Let’s chat–
Do you ever cook with thai chili paste? What have you been eating for lunch this week? Is it raining where you are?

P.S. Wondering how to have a healthier Halloween? Head on over to the Fitfluential site to read some tips written by yours truly. It’s a fun one. 🙂

Delicata Squash and Farro Risotto

You guys, I have a confession. When it comes to squash, I have always been a butternut snob. Truthfully, I probably haven’t been giving many other squash varieties a fair chance. Last week, however, I discovered the wonders of delicata squash when we got one in our CSA delivery. Delicata squash are yellow with green stripes and have an oval or oblong shape. I’ve always seen them in the store, but never tried one before.

Tim wasted no time getting busy in the kitchen with this one!

Delicata Squash and Farro Risotto

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 2 delicata squash, peeled and chopped into quarter-inch cubes
• 2 cups farro
• 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In this recipe, you will be working with the farro and squash simultaneously. Before you begin, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and put the broth in a saucepan over low heat. You will also want to soak the farro in water for about 10 minutes.

1. Toss the squash with the extra virgin olive oil in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish, and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Make sure to stir/flip the squash halfway through cooking.
2. Take the squash out of the oven, and divide the quantity in half. Take one half and purée it in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender. Add the water while blending. Note that you might not need all the water depending on the squash you are using. You want to blend until the squash has the consistency of a thick applesauce.
3. Drain the farro, and then toast it in a skillet over medium heat. Continuously stir until the farro is dry or you can smell it toasting.
4. With a ladle, scoop 2 ladle-fulls of broth into the farro skillet. Stir until the broth begins to evaporate. Once the broth is almost evaporated, add in all the pureed squash, the Parmesan cheese, and the dried rosemary. Continue adding the broth, ladle by ladle, stirring until evaporated, until there is no more broth to add.
5. At this point, add in the other half of the squash that wasn’t pureed. Heat until warm, and serve.
6. Enjoy!

Tim and I prefer using farro instead of rice to make risotto. Not only is it a healthier option, but the dish can maintain its texture a bit better with the farro, especially for leftovers. This was nice and creamy (I know, I know, gross word alert), and it was a great fall dish for a chilly night. Plus, dinner always tastes better when Tim cooks!

–Let’s chat–
What’s your favorite type of squash? Have you tried delicata before? How do you prefer your risotto?

Lots to do at work today, but Jen is in town tonight! I’m psyched!