I am such a sucker for a hearty salad bowl. I love salad bowls made with rice, quinoa, noodles or just greens. I find them so much more interesting, satisfying and enjoyable than a regular salad. Plus, you can add so many nutrient dense ingredients, complete proteins, complex carbohydrates and fun flavour combinations!
This particular salad came together simply because I had too many sweet potatoes in the house. I wasn’t sure the best way to prepare them so that I would actually eat them. Especially considering the fact that my family won’t eat them. I knew if I made a bunch of sweet potato fries in the air fryer I would eat them…but was that the healthiest option for me? Probably not. My goal with my meals is mainly a large variety of whole foods to increase the amount of nutrients consumed with each meal, so eating a sweet potato alone is not going to help me reach that goal. And so, this craving satisfying salad was born! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Now, the mix of quinoa and chickpeas in this salad is important for your health. Together, these grains and legumes form a complete protein. So if you were to eat this salad without chicken, it would be vegan and also check off some boxes for a balanced meal! You may choose to leave some of these ingredients out, of course, as you’ll notice the carb content is quite high. But let me reassure you that the synergy between grains and legumes is an important one especially if you are not eating meat.
But, of course, the choice is yours! That’s what I love about salad bowls - choose your grain, your greens, your nuts/seeds, your dressing, your legumes and any additional protein and you have a recipe matrix that never fails! The variety and versatility and health benefits of this type of a meal make it a must-have in my diet. Enjoy!
Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Kale Slaw
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
- 1 large onion, large dice
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup of Quinoa (cooked according to package directions)
- 4 cups of Kale Slaw (from a package or chop up a mixture of your choice of fresh Kale, Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Carrots & Brussel Sprouts)
- 2 Tbsp of Balsamic Reduction or Balsamic Vinegar Dressing of Choice
- Crispy Chickpeas (you can find the recipe HERE)
- 4 Tbsp of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Cooked Chicken Breast Strips (pre-cooked or prepare your own)
Instructions
- Toss the sweet potatoes and onions in Olive oil
- Space them out evenly on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast in your oven on 375ºF for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- When fully cooked, remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Cook your quinoa and chicken so they are ready to go, set aside
- If you are making your own balsamic reduction, you can do so now. Simply add 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and a Tbsp sugar to a pot and simmer until cooked down. Approximately 20-30 minutes. Do this while cooking the quinoa. This will make enough for 4 salads (depending how much dressing you like)
- Prepare the greens and place 1/4 of them in the bowl (approximately 1 cup of kale slaw).
- Top the slaw with 100g chicken, 1/4 cup of quinoa, 1/4 of the roasted sweet potatoes, 1 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds and 2 Tbsp of dressing. Sprinkle with crispy chickpeas on top!
- Makes 4 servings. Enjoy with others, or pre-make another 3 salads to eat throughout the week! Leave the dressing off until you are ready to eat, as the balsamic will wilt the greens slightly.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
415Fat
7Sat. Fat
1Carbs
52Fiber
5Net carbs
49Sugar
4.9Protein
30Sodium
563Cholesterol
75The nutritional does not include the Crispy Chickpeas. Please visit that recipe to add the nutritional info.
