Fall is my favorite time of the year, and food definitely plays a significant part in that! This delicious fall salad is bursting with autumn flavors and is full of nutrients. Sweet potato is extremely high in vitamin A, which helps with vision, cellular growth, immune function, and protects against damage from free radicals. The combination of sweet potato, apple, quinoa, and arugula also make this salad a good source of fiber, which aids in digestion, lowering cholesterol, improving cardiovascular health, and decreasing the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Even the dressing is super healthy providing anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids (also found in the walnuts). In other words, this is definitely a "superfood" salad! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Serves: 3 as a meal; 6 as a side
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
4 cups arugula
1 medium sweet potato
1 Honeycrisp apple, cubed
1/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp EVOO
pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Peel the sweet potato and chop it into 1 inch cubes. Place the sweet potato, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and stir until evenly coated. Place the sweet potato cubes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes or until soft.
While the sweet potato is cooking, combine the quinoa and 2/3 cup water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Stir frequently, and remove from heat once the water has been absorbed and the germ has spiraled off the grains.
Make the dressing by combining the tahini and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
Once the sweet potato is done, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
*Note: This can either be served cold or warm (aka immediately after the sweet potato and quinoa are done). I personally like it warm!
Please comment below if you have any questions!