Sweet Potato Kale Crunch Salad
A crunchy base of kale, cabbage, and cauliflower pairs with crisp corn and pumpkin seeds and flavorful roasted sweet potato. This is a meal-prep-friendly salad that's tossed in a simple lime vinaigrette.
Servings: 4 main dish salads
Calories: 704kcal
Equipment
- 1 food processor optional, see notes
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil more as needed
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup couscous plus boiling water & salt, to cook
- ½ small red cabbage roughly 1 pound
- ¼ small head of cauliflower optional
- 6 to 8 ounce bunch dinosaur kale curly kale also works
- 1 ear sweet corn
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- chopped cilantro and avocado for serving; optional
Lime Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle chili pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup lime juice ~2-3 limes (I prefer fresh limes so I can use the zest too)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-2 teaspoons honey adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon lime zest from one lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Dice the sweet potato into ½-inch pieces. Toss the sweet potatoes and drained and rinsed chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder), ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Roast at 400F for 30-35 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender and the chickpeas are crisp.
- Prepare couscous according to package instructions. Typically, this is done by adding ¾ cup boiling water or broth to ¾ cup dry couscous with a pinch of salt. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
- Roughly chop the cabbage and cauliflower. Add to a food processor with a standard blade attachment. Pulse until broken down into tiny pieces. Alternatively, chop by hand. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Thinly slice the kale into ribbons. I keep the stems and roughly chop them, but you can remove them if you prefer. Toss this with the cabbage and cauliflower.
- To the kale and cabbage mixture add the corn kernels from the ear of sweet corn, chickpeas, feta, and pumpkin seeds. Add the sweet potato and couscous when they are done cooking. Add the zest of one lime, if using fresh limes.
- Make the dressing by blending together ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 chipotle chili pepper, ¼ cup lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1-2 teaspoon honey, to taste. Adjust seasonings, as needed.
- If serving as one large salad, toss the salad with the dressing now. If preparing for meal prep, divide the salad between containers and portion the dressing out into separate containers. I recommend dressing the salad just before serving, for best quality. Serve topped with cubed avocado and chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make without a food processor: The food processor just makes breaking down the cauliflower and cabbage easier. If you don't have a food processor, simply chop the cabbage and cauliflower until it's very small.
- Quinoa is a good swap for couscous in this salad.
- The cauliflower is optional but adds extra veggies and crunch to the salad.
- I serve the salad as a mix of warm and cool ingredients (warm sweet potato and couscous, chilled vegetables.) For a fully chilled salad, toss everything except for the dressing together, cover, and chill for 2 hours before serving. Toss with the dressing just before serving.
- If you're making this for meal prep lunches, I recommend storing the dressing separately and tossing the salad just before eating. While the salad is still delicious and keeps well with the dressing on, it's even better if you are able to keep the two components separate.
Nutrition
Calories: 704kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 1327mg | Potassium: 1052mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 17718IU | Vitamin C: 100mg | Calcium: 411mg | Iron: 5mg
