Controversially I don’t think salads are just for the warmer weather (there you go I said it)! The classic kale salad has had a winter upgrade here, combining seasonal brussel sprouts, spiced chickpeas and warm sweet potato to create a nourishing balanced meal that is quick and easy to prepare. This Winter Kale and Chickpea Salad is one to try.
Why you should make this Winter Kale and Chickpea Salad
During winter we all tend to crave more warming comforting foods, which by default tends to be more carb based. I don’t know about you, but I tend to find my vegetable consumption drops a little, which is why this salad is a great choice as it is based on those all important greens.
Other notable great things about this Winter Kale Salad:
- Quick and easy: to make and whilst this is amazing eaten warm, you can also eat it cold the following day
- Swappable ingredients: a lot of the ingredients in this salad are swappable, so you can make use of what you have in the fridge
- Balanced: this winter salad is a balanced choice with protein from the chickpeas, carbs from the sweet potato whilst also being dense in winter greens
- Soy free: for anyone that follows a plant based diet but has an allergy to soy, this recipe is for you
- Gluten free: a hearty meal option that is free from gluten
Recipe Notes and Adaptions
- Keeping the skin on the sweet potato helps maximise the nutrients you can gain from these potatoes. Just give them a good wash before you roast them in the oven
- Using the slicing mechanism on a food processor will make slicing the brussel sprouts a bit easier. However, you can slice them just as well with a knife and chopping board if you don’t have a food processor at home
- Chickpeas can also be swapping out for butter beans or cannellini beans
Winter Kale and Chickpea Salad
Course: MainsCuisine: Savoury, SaladDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings10
minutes30
minutesThis nourishing Kale Salad is perfect for winter, with a lovely balance of greens, protein and carbohydrates. Making use of seasonal brussel sprouts, they are balanced with warm spiced chickpeas and sweet potato to create a balanced filling meal.
Ingredients
- Salad Ingredients
125g Kale
3 Sweet medium sweet potatoes, washed and dried.
250g Brussel sprouts, thinly sliced
- Roasted Spiced Chickpeas
Tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp smoked paprika
½ Tsp chilli Powder
- Lemon Tahini Dressing
30ml Tahini
30ml Apple cider vinegar
10ml Miso paste
10ml Maple syrup
3 Roasted garlic cloves
1 and ½ Lemons, juice of
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200oc and line two baking trays with parchment paper
- Cut the sweet potatoes into 2cm chunks keeping the skins on
- Add to a bowl all the spiced chickpea ingredients and combine until full coated. Tip onto the baking tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until crisp
- On the other tray add the sweet potato chunks, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and mix until everything is fully coated. Pop in the oven to roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway through
- To roast the garlic, pop the cloves on the baking tray with the sweet potato and let them roast in the oven for 10 minutes. After this time the garlic cloves themselves will have softened and the flesh will pop out of the clove shell
- Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and add the garlic once roasted and set aside
- In a large bowl, add the kale and massage it with a sprinkling of salt to soften it a little
- Add to the same large bowl the brussel sprouts and mix through with the kale
- Once everything has finished cooking, add the sweet potato, chickpeas and dressing to the bowl and toss everything together
- Perfect served with crusty bread
- 10. ENJOY!
Notes
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Winter Kale Salad so please leave a comment below and tag me in your wonderful creations! I’m @fortheutteroffood on Instagram and use the hashtag #theutterloveoffood. I’m also on Facebook – please say hello!
