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. 😉

Warm Farro Salad with Orange and Cranberries

Good morning, and Happy Hanukkah to any F&F readers celebrating this week!

I have a new recipe to share with you today.

Warm Farro Salad with Orange and Cranberries

Serves 3-4 as a meal or 6 as a side

Ingredients

• 1 cup farro, uncooked
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2-3 oranges
• 1/3 cup raw and unsalted pecan halves
• 2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, to taste
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp real maple syrup, agave, or honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring the farro and broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until farro is tender and water is absorbed.
2. While the farro is cooking, chop your parsley and peel and chop your oranges.
3. When the farro is done, drain any excess liquid, and then mix in all remaining ingredients.
4. Serve warm, and enjoy!

This dish is quickly becoming a go to meal in our home because it’s super easy to make, and it also travels well. The orange flavor really adds a nice citrus component to the dish and pairs well against the grainy texture of the farro. The red cranberries and the green parsley also make this salad a nice festive addition to your holiday table this month! If and when blood oranges (Tim’s FAVORITE) ever hit the stores this season, I will definitely be making this salad again using blood oranges instead.

For those with nut allergies, try substituting a seed such as sunflower seeds for the crunchy component. Even though I enjoy this warm right after it’s been made, it tastes good cold as leftovers right out of the fridge too. Hope you guys like this one!

–Let’s chat–
What festive salads are you making this season? Do you prefer your whole grain salads warm or cold? What are your favorite seasonal items right now?

For those who entered my Nutcracker ticket giveaway, I emailed the winner (Deanna) on Monday. Thank you all for entering!

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. 🙂