If, like me, you have been on a constant sugar rush throughout Christmas and New Year, this Roasted Sweet Potato, Quinoa, and Beetroot Salad will help you satisfy your new found vegetable cravings. Quick and simple to make, you can meal prep this salad on a Sunday evening and enjoy it throughout the week as a healthy, yet filling lunch idea.
The holidays have taken its toll. I spent my Christmas in Italy and I have been constantly fed by well-meaning relatives which kept insisting I have one more chocolate, one more slice of panettone, and one more glass of Prosecco. Basically, the dream. That’s what Christmas is also about and I loved every single minute of it. But now my body can’t take it anymore. It's now begging me for some vegetables. Aything, really: even just some steamed broccoli. Whole foods. Soups. Stews. Salads. Something that is not coated in sugar.
I am aware that a common New Year’s resolution is eating healthier or upping your fruit and veg intake. It’s good for yourself, for the planet, and, let’s be honest, for your wallet. So I decided to share today one of my all-time favourites: this Roasted Sweet Potato, Quinoa, and Beetroot Salad. Or, the salad to surpass all salads, if you allow me to be a bit big headed.
Thing is, this is the salad which converted my boyfriend (once a staunch salad hater) into a strange creature who packs this salad to work at least a couple of times a week. And it is also the salad who made me feel in love with quinoa. It’s also super customisable (and I will give you several ideas to mix things up according to what you have got in the fridge) and has several textures which make this salad one of a kind.
I first got the inspiration for this salad two years ago, during an internship. I was invited by one of the girls in the office for lunch, and she took me to this salad bar where you could choose a base, 5 add-ons, and a dressing. It was London at lunch time, a massive queue of impatient people behind me, and about 80 different options to choose from. I could definitely feel the pressure and didn’t want to look like the type of person who had never set a foot in a salad bar before (which, in case you are wondering, is exactly what I was). So I went for the ingredients I knew I would like: sweet potatoes, feta, spinach, hummus and beetroots. For the base, I thought I would look fancy and ask for quinoa. Dressing? Balsamic. And it was then, without me having any clue about it, that I had found THE SALAD. The one which would be packed for uni almost daily and that would be made and enjoyed by friend and family. Interestingly, the lady who assembled that salad decided to mix the quinoa, the balsamic dressing, and the hummus together, making a nice, velvety base. I loved that idea and tweaked it to my likings, and it’s been a winner ever since.
This salad comes in many forms and shapes. I first ate it with fresh baby spinach, but since then I have often used a simple mixed salad (as it is the case today). You can also use rocket or kale. If you are doing Veganuary (or simply want to keep it plant-based no matter the months) you can go fancy and use some tofu feta, or do what I usually do: substituting it for smoked tofu (seriously, it’s the dream). You can also add some falafels (may I suggest you try my spicy sweet potato falafels?), to add some extra flavour and texture. Finally, you can easily substitute the sweet potatoes for carrots (baked at 200 °C for 25 to 30 mins), or butternut squash (baked at 200 °C for 25). As it is often the case here, just free-style and experiment with what you have. You won’t regret it.
Ingredients:
Makes 4 portions
1 bag of mixed salad leaves
2 cooked beetroots (I buy already cooked beets at the supermarket, but you can cook your own)
30 grams of feta (optional)
1 cup dry quinoa
3 tbsp hummus
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp hot paprika
1 avocado
Salt
Olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat the oven at 180 °C.
Peel and cut the sweet potato into bite-sized chunks. Place them on a tray with a drizzle of olive oil with the paprika, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of salt. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the chunks are nice and golden on the outside.
In the meantime, cook the quinoa. I like to cook quinoa using cup measurements as I find it easier to use the right proportions. I normally go for a cup of dry quinoa which I thoroughly rinse and drain with a fine mesh and 1 ½ cup of water. If you don’t have cup measurements at home you can use a regular mug or a measuring jug. Just make sure that your water is always 1 ½ time the amount of dry quinoa you are cooking. Place the water and the quinoa in a pot with a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered until the water has been fully absorbed. The remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let it steam for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Leave to cool.
Now cut the beetroot in chunks (TIP: do this on a ceramic plate rather than a plastic chopping board as it is less likely to leave hard to remove stains), the avocado in slices and crumble the feta. Once the quinoa has cooled down, add the vinegar and the hummus and mix very well. Your quinoa should be only slightly creamy (add more hummus if you want more creaminess). You can also add a touch of honey or Dijon mustard, if you fancy.
Assembling time: place the salad leaves in a big bowl and mix with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Now place the quinoa on top. Add the sweet potatoes and all the other toppings. Bang, there you go. You can also divide all the ingredients between four bowls, but my favourite way to portions this salad is the following à For meal prep: simply store each ingredient in a different bowl/ Tupperware and assemble every morning before you go to work. This will prevent your salad from getting all soggy and sad throughout the days and keep the ingredients fresh. For the same reason, dress the salad leaves each morning when assembling, rather than storing them already dressed with the olive oil and vinegar dressing. For the avocado, simply use a quarter at a time, and sprinkle the rest of it with lemon juice before placing back in the fridge.
Enjoy!
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