Author Notes
This is my own creation...no knock off recipes! This salad knocks it out of the park for me. I came up with it for a recipe competition, promoting the use of local, fresh, seasonal vegetables. Being we are currently located in New Zealand, few vegetables are more Kiwi than the Kumara. Tasting similar to a sweet potato, when it is roasted just right, it resembles a toasted marshmallow in the best of ways: Soft in the inside, and a crisp, toasted outer that sends your tastebuds screaming for more. This salad is vegan, and healthy, while being comforting and delicious at the same time. —Sarah Wadsworth
Ingredients
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3 pounds
sweet potatoes or yams, cut into 2cm pieces
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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2 teaspoons
cumin seeds, freshly toasted
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1 tablespoon
apple cider vinegar
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2 tablespoons
fresh orange juice (squeeze an orange!)
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1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice (squeeze a lemon!)
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1 tablespoon
honey
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1 pinch
cayenne pepper
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1/3 cup
olive oil
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1/2 cup
sunflower seeds
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2 teaspoons
fresh lime juice (squeeze a lime!)
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2 teaspoons
olive oil
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1 teaspoon
sea salt
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2 tablespoons
fresh parsley, minced
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4 tablespoons
fresh mint, minced
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees c) and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown (some crisp brown spots are great).
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Place sunflower seeds, lime juice, olive oil, and salt in small roasting pan (a loaf pan works great) and place in oven while the sweet potatoes are roasting. After 20 minutes, check to see if they are toasted and remove from oven as soon as they are lightly brown.
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While sweet potatoes and sunflower seeds are roasting, prepare dressing. If you have a mortar and pestle, grind toasted cumin seeds and salt to a rough powder. If not, use a (clean) coffee grinder. If no coffee grinder, place cumin and salt with all dressing ingredients except olive oil in a bowl or blender (an immersion blender works great for this). Blend until smooth and carefully/slowly add olive oil in a steady stream, until dressing is thick and creamy. Taste for salt/seasoning, and set aside.
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Once sweet potatoes are done roasting, remove from oven and when still hot/warm, place in a large bowl and gently toss with dressing. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to meld. When ready to serve, toss with fresh parsley and mint. Sprinkle with cumin lime sunflower seeds and enjoy.
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