Sweet Potato, Pomegranate & Crispy Quinoa Salad

If you love roasted sweet potatoes with pomegranate seeds, you are going to adore this  Sweet Potato, Pomegranate & Crispy Quinoa Salad. It is a delicious and healthy salad that is perfect for company.

So how is your January going so far?

I didn’t set any huge “New Year’s resolutions”, but I do have some pretty specific goals I would like to accomplish. The biggest and the one I’ve made the most progress with is cleaning up my diet.

I’ve mentioned in the last few weeks that I got off track in the back half of 2015. It happens to all of us. It was a challenging year, and I have a bad habit of “eating my emotions”.

I think that it is important that wherever you are in your journey, you accept it and don’t beat yourself up. I ate a lot of junk. I have weight to lose. As a healthy food blogger, I’m not proud of where I am at, but beating myself up isn’t going to accomplish anything other than making me feel worse. So instead, I’ve dusted myself off, stepped away from the fried egg rolls ice cream and recommitted to eating healthy.

I’ve been cooking like crazy, and you know what? I’m enjoying food more than I have in a very long time!

Today, let’s talk salad! This Sweet Potato, Pomegranate & Crispy Quinoa Salad is one that will not leave you feeling deprived. Promise!

It does require a little prep work, but it is easy I PROMISE!

All you do is chop up your sweet potatoes and get them roasting in the oven.

While they are baking, combine the quinoa, oil and water and crisp up your quinoa. If you’ve tried to make crispy quinoa before and failed, give this method a shot. It is the best I’ve tried!

Chop your apple and measure your pomegranates and walnuts.

And make your dressing.

Speaking of dressing, f you are someone who doesn’t like to make salads at home, one thing I would suggest is to ditch the bottled dressings. Most of them are bland, and many have much more sugar that I want.

A flavor-full dressing goes a long way towards making a salad enjoyable!

Making your dressings means you control the ingredients, and it allows you to tailor them to your taste and make sure only the good stuff is in there.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Sweet Potato, Pomegranate & Crispy Quinoa Salad

If you love roasted sweet potatoes with pomegranate seeds, you are going to adore this  Sweet Potato, Pomegranate & Crispy Quinoa Salad. It is a delicious and healthy salad that is perfect for company.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 394 kcal

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• Sweet Potatoes
• 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup quinoa rinsed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• Salad
• 1 small green apple diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 5 ounces Baby Spinach
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/3 cup walnuts toasted
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespooon sweetener of choice.
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer, and roast for 45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet combine quinoa, olive oil, 1/2 cup water, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 10 to 16 minutes. Drain on paper towels and allow to cool.
3. Make the dressing by combining balsamic vinegar, sweetener, Dijon mustard, garlic, sea salt and cayenne pepper in a blender. Add oil in a steady stream and process until emulsified.
4. Toss apple and lemon juice in a small bowl.
5. In a large bowl combine spinach, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and apple. Add roasted sweet potatoes, crispy quinoa and toss with the desired amount of dressing.

Recipe Notes

Please note that zero calorie sweetener is used in the nutritional calculation.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet Potato, Pomegranate & Crispy Quinoa Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 394 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 29g 45%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 853mg 36%

Potassium 464mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 30g 10%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 9g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 169.9%

Vitamin C 13.5%

Calcium 5.7%

Iron 11.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetNewYear #CollectiveBias