This sweet potato green salad marks how my diet and lifestyle have changed in the last few years. Prior to following a plant-based diet, I equated sweet potatoes with the candied variety we enjoyed at Thanksgiving. Once in a while I would order sweet potato fries at a more health conscious restaurant. So you can imagine my surprise when I first encountered a green salad recipe that called for chunks of sweet potato – cold sweet potato… Really? (If memory serves, the recipe was in the book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Esselstyn.)
While I was skeptical of the merits of cold sweet potato, I gave it a try. As demonstrated by the number of sweet potato recipes I share on this blog, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I quickly learned to keep a supply of baked sweet potatoes in the fridge. Warm or cold, I add them to:
- Soups
- Salads
- Grain Dishes
- Bean Dishes
A few months ago I posted an article that discussed the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, summarized their health benefits and shared favorite cooking methods.
They are an easy item to keep on hand for a quick healthy meal.
Sweet Potato Green Salad
While many sweet potato salad recipes follow the path of traditional potato salad, a green salad allows you to cram, well, more green stuff into the mix!
This sweet potato green salad is a quick and easy version of my perfect salad recipe. It features the creamy sweet texture of sweet potatoes combined with the snap and crunch of:
- Baby romaine lettuce
- Red onion
- Bell pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Sunflower seeds
Minced cilantro offers an additional layer of cool, fresh flavor if you enjoy the taste of cilantro.
Sweet Potato Green Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 large baked sweet potato diced
- 2 cups baby romaine chopped
- 2 Tbsp. red onion diced
- 1/4 yellow or orange bell pepper diced
- 3-4 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp. minced cilantro optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a single serve pasta or salad bowl.
- Top with favorite salad dressing. (I recommend the balsamic mustard dressing shared with the Perfect Salad recipe.)
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
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You have to try this salad! This was delicious – and I got several compliments at the family picnic with this salad. Next time I might try adding some romaine hearts – more crunch. I used chopped leeks instead of red onion too – but that was the only difference.
Happy to hear the salad was a hit at the family picnic. 🙂 Adding some extra crunch always sounds good!
Yum! Im doing this tomorrow! I wonder how it would be with a small bed of quinoa underneath?! Thanks for the great ideas!
I bet it would Deanna! 🙂