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Pasta, Potato & Grain Salads | March 22, 2011

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette
Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

Sunday was the first day of spring. I’m looking out my window right now, and it still looks like winter. We are scheduled to play a baseball game in a few hours, and the snow is beginning to fall, again. I guess we’ll be content with easing into spring, while living with winter! Back to the salad- what should I name this? Winter Salad? Sprinter Salad? OK, I’ll stop.

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette
Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette. Loved the colors and combo of fruit, potatoes, creamy avocado and crunchy sweet nuts.

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • Dressing:
  • 1/2 cup oil vegetable or canola
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Candied pecans:
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • Salad:
  • 12 cups lettuce or a mixture of lettuce and spinach, washed and chopped
  • 2 sweet potatoes or yams cooked, peeled, cubed( about 2 cupand cooled
  • 1 large or 2 small avocados chopped
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup cooked chopped beets, optional

Instructions

  1. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jar, set aside.
  2. Place the pecans and about 2 tablespoons of sugar in a non stick/Teflon pan over medium high heat until the sugar begins to melt, stirring constantly. Add remaining sugar and continue to cook until sugar is melted and coats the pecans. Remove from heat and pour onto a sheet of parchment paper or a greased sheet of foil. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired. Let cool.
  3. 3.Place the chopped greens in a large serving bowl. Place rest of salad ingredients on top of lettuce.
  4. Toss the salad with about half of the dressing. Top with sugared pecans and toss again, adding more dressing if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

-When cooking sweet potatoes, boil or bake with skin on for optimal nutritional value. Don’t overcook. Sweet potatoes should be tender, but not overly soft.
-If not serving salad immediately, wait to add avocados until just before serving.

I love sweet potatoes. Did you know sweet potatoes have numerous health benefits including:
Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette
Four times the RDA for beta-carotene,which your body can convert to vitamin A42% of the RDA forvitamin Cand if you eat the skin, more fiber than oatmeal. Other sweet potato health benefits include having the lowest glycemic index among root veggies because it digests very slowly, which helps you feel full longer. Calories? About 130 for a medium sized potato.

6 thoughts on “Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

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  1. Sweet potatoes are my favorite. I could eat a whole dish of them on Thanksgiving. This looks wonderful. And your photos are stunning!

  2. I read this recipe yesterday and just had to make it for dinner last night. It was super yum! I added chicken because I am really into the one dish dinner. My family LOVES you Si! Although it was not nearly as beautiful as yours. Thanks for the great recipes!!!

  3. What a vibrant salad – a real feast for the senses! It's gloomy and wintery here today…the photos of your salad make me feel like spring is just around the corner. Can't wait to try!

  4. I love sweet potatoes too and I actually just posted sweet potato muffins.. Ha ha 🙂 This salad looks so yummy and I love that you used the cider vinegar, as it can add such a wonderful flavor. Thanks for sharing your recipe.