This salad is a combination of a number of nutrient dense foods. Sweet potatoes are a dietary staple of the Okinawans, one of the “blue zones”, where one of the longest living populations on the planet live.
The Food of the Incas
Quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse from South America, and was a favourite food of the Incas. Cooked like grains and often thought to be a grain, it is actually a seed. It is relatively high in protein compared to other grains and high in fibre, various minerals and anti-oxidants.
Green leafy vegetables are the top of the pile when it comes to nutrient density and rocket is one of the most nutritious of the green leafy vegetables. It also proves a lovely peppery taste to the salad.
Pomegranates are one of the fruits containing very high levels of anti-oxidants. They are delicious and the pomegranate seeds add a burst of flavour for every bite of this salad.
In order to reach its full potential, a tasty salad needs to be accompanied by a great dressing in my view and our tahini lemon dressing really helps this salad achieve greatness. The symphony of flavors makes for a wonderful salad.
Ingredients Needed for this Pomegranate Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
Quinoa
Sweet potatoes
Pomegranate
Asparagus spears
Avocado
Spring onions
Rocket
Nutritional Yeast
Salt and Pepper
How to Make this Pomegranate Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
To make this salad, first pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. (355 degrees Fahrenheit) Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into cubes. Lay some baking paper on a tray and spread out the sweet potatoes. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, giving the sweet potatoes a shake half way through.
Next cook the quinoa. To cook perfect fluffy quinoa, combine 1 cup of quinoa with 1 3/4 cups of water in a pot (or scale accordingly). Bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer for around 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to sit covered with a lid for around 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork.
Tip: rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold water before cooking. This removes compounds called saponins that give the can give the quinoa a bitter taste.
Steam the asparagus spears for around seven minutes to cook. Once the asparagus is cooked, cut into 1/2 inch lengths, leaving the more fibrous ends aside.
Cut the pomegranate in half and scrape out the seeds from one half with a spoon. (I do not know the most efficient process for this step, and usually end up firing pomegranate seeds across the kitchen)
Finely chop the spring onion and cut the avocado into thin slices.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Place a bed of rocket in a salad bowl. Add the quinoa, the sweet potato cubes, the asparagus pieces, the spring onion, the avocado, and the nutritional yeast.
Drizzle over some Tahini Lemon Dressing and toss the salad to mix everything together.
Serve and enjoy.
Some other Healthy and Tasty Salads to Enjoy from The Fit Dish
Mango and Beet Salad with an Orange and Ginger Dressing
Seriously Good Quinoa Salad With Almonds
High Protein Red Lentil Pasta Salad – Gluten Free
Pomegranate Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Peel and dice the sweet potato. Lay some parchment paper on a roasting tin roast the sweet potato in a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (355 Fahrenheit). Give the tin a shake every now and again.
- Cook the quinoa with 1 3/4 cups of water. Add the quinoa and water to a pot. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the quinoa to sit for 10 minutes with the lid on the pot. Fluff to serve.
- Steam the asparagus for about 7 minutes until soft. Cut into 1/2 inch slices, setting aside the fibrous ends.
- finely chop the spring onions and slice the avocado.
- Cut the pomegranate in half and remove th seeds from one half.
- Add a bed of rocket to a salad bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the tahini dressing, then toss until everything is nicely mixed.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.
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