This lovely salad is so delicious and nutritious, I want to call it a Supersalad. It includes rich orange sweet potatoes, which are powerhouses in themselves - a great source of dietary fiber (with the skins on), complex carbohydrates, protein - not to mention twice the recommended allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene. This, from a food so naturally sweet and flavorful? What a treasure.
And then we have quinoa - another powerhouse. It acts like a starch, giving a similar texture to rice or couscous, but it is actually a complete protein. It includes the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue repair, as well as magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. All of this in a humble looking little "grain" - why go back to rice?
I got this recipe online from Mark Bittman, who among other things is great at balancing flavors and creating simple but interesting dishes. It makes a lovely fall lunch or side dish, and would be excellent for a pot luck. I did it in stages, making the sweet potatoes and quinoa the night before, refrigerating them, and assembling the salad the next day, so it felt like it really took no time at all.
And economical - I don't think you can beat it. The sweet potatoes came from the Farmers Market, so that was about $1.50, the quinoa is from Trader Joe's, and I had the rest of the ingredients on hand already. Probably about $6 or less for a huge bowl of 4-6 servings.
Sweet Potoato and Quinoa Salad
- 2 1/2 C. cooked quinoa (can also use millet)
- 1 large or 2 med sweet potatoes
- Salt, Pepper
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 1/4 C. minced red onion or shallot
- 1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T. balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar
- 1/4 minced fresh chives or parsley leaves (I used Italian Parsley)
Peel the sweet potato and dice into 1/2 in. or smaller pieces. Cook in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 min. Drain well.
Toss together the potato, quinoa, red bell pepper, and onion - sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss the salad with about half of this mixture. (I added my chopped parsley at this point). Add all or some of the rest to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with chives and serve.
