Kale, Sweet Potato, and Pomegranate Salad

If you’re looking for an easy, nourishing and delicious recipe to make using kale, this one is a winner. It’s got sweetness from the potatoes, crunchy bursts of flavour from the pomegranates, and kale as the perfect vessel for a creamy dressing.

It’s also gluten free, vegan, and easily customizable.

For this recipe I wanted to point out a few of the health benefits of sweet potatoes. Not only are they delicious and versatile in recipes, but you can feel good about incorporating them into your diet, knowing they are benefiting your health in a variety of ways.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF SWEET POTATOES:

BRAIN HEALTH - sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and are high in fiber, meaning the take longer to be digested and they don’t spike your blood sugar. Stable blood sugar is essential for brain health, maintaining our energy levels stable, our moods balanced, and even helping us to concentrate better.

IMMUNE SYSTEM AND VISION SUPPORT - Orange sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene, a plant based compound that is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is instrumental for a healthy immune system as well as for healthy vision.

GUT HEALTH - sweet potatoes are a source of prebiotics, or non-digestible fiber compounds. Prebiotics don’t get digested in the small intestine, instead they get fermented and serve as food for probiotic (ie good) bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics are key for keeping your gut flora in balance and your gut nice and healthy


Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 55 mins

INGREDIENTS:

For the salad:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into cubes

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tsp maple syrup

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1 large bunch of kale, stemmed and very finely chopped (about 6 cups chopped kale)

  • 2 cups of pomegranate seeds

  • optional toppings - avocado slices, roasted chickpeas, sliced apples, chicken, chopped walnuts or pecans

For the dressing:

  • 4 tbsp of mayo (I use avocado oil mayo)

  • 4 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 tsp of water

  • 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard

  • Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place cubed sweet potatoes on baking sheet, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and maple syrup over the top then add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to evenly coat the sweet potatoes with oil and spices.

3. Spread sweet potato cubes evenly around pan and roast for 35-45 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they are fork tender.

4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, add your chopped kale into a large bowl.

Laura Gutierrez