Well, we have been in our new home for about a month and a half now. That sounds like such a short amount of time, but life has been so...eventful...which makes it seem impossible that we have only been here for 6 weeks. I'll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say, life has been the opposite of easy. The past 2 or 3 days have left us all feeling more settled, thank goodness, and I have been able to get my feet solidly planted in my new kitchen to do some serious cooking, recipe testing, photographing, and BLOGGING! Yay!
I'm actually sitting at the counter facing our kitchen right now. I love it. It's spacious and bright and clean (at the moment). There are kids playing across the street, Canadian geese noisily honking as they fly over our home, and a spring-like breeze is blowing in through the open windows. The sun is in that beautiful position where everything looks soft and golden and I can't imaging being anywhere else right now.
And did I mention my sweet boys are sleeping? Ahhhhh...
So, to celebrate this new beginning and my return to Set the Table after an unplanned hiatus, I have a refreshing yet hearty salad to share with you. You may already know that I tend to go a little crazy putting sweet potatoes anywhere and everywhere in our meals, but this has to be one of my favorite ways to enjoy these healthy powerhouses. The sweet potato cubes are plopped directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, then drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and dried ginger, tossed around a bit, then roasted until they are perfectly soft on the inside and golden on the outside. I can eat them straight out of the oven just this way.
But, as we all know, that does not a complete meal make. So, I've added some baby kale, feta cheese, dates (a current obsession), cashews, and a lovely, creamy vinaigrette made with tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and dried ginger. There are so many perfect flavors and textures in this on bowl that I'm convinced I could eat this every day for lunch.
Bonus: if you make extra sweet potatoes, your 4 year old and 1 year old will have a perfectly healthy snack to enjoy!
On a side note, how did I end up with a 4 year old and a 1 year old already. WHERE DID MY BABIES GO?!?
I'm excited to share more recipes that make my heart flutter and my kitchen smell like home. I've got something chocolatey up my sleeve for my next post because it's all about balance, am I right?
I've missed it here. It's good to be back.
Gingered Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Tahini Vinaigrette
Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 as a side
Start to finish, this meal takes about 25 minutes to make.
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
- 2 cups baby kale leaves
- 1/4 cup salted cashews
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- salt to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and toss the sweet potato cubes on the paper.
- Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the sea salt and ginger. Toss to coat.
- Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender and golden around the edges.
- Meanwhile, place the baby kale in a bowl. Top with the feta cheese, dates, sweet potatoes and cashews.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the tahini, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, water, ginger and salt and whisk until smooth. Adjust seasonings as needed and add a touch more water or apple cider vinegar if the vinaigrette seems too thick.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and enjoy!