Sweet Potato & Pomegranate Salad with Pepitas and Avocado

 

First off all, thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway this week!  Your responses gave me tons of inspiration  for my own holiday baking!  Joanne from Eats Well with Others is the lucky winner of a one-year subscription to Cook's Illustrated!  Congratulations, girl! I still have 3 more giveaways, and I think you will all really like them - the next one will be posted on Monday.  Now onto this fun salad...

I'm about to inundate you with holiday sweets and treats, so I felt like it was only fair to give you a salad first.  You know, moderation and balance and all that.  I first made this salad a few weeks ago to serve at book club, along with the infamous Turkey Cranchiladas.  I wanted a fall-ish salad, but for some reason I wasn't feeling my usual Harvest Pear Salad.  So as I perused the aisles of the grocery store, I came up with this one.  I love the combination of sweet potatoes and avocado, and pomegranate seeds and pepitas seemed like good add-ins as well. I was kind of stumped on the dressing, but then I saw Nicole mention that she was making a salad with a pomegranate vinaigrette, and that sounded perfect.

I really loved this salad.  There's a nice sweetness from the sweet potatoes and pomegranate seeds, creamy richness from the avocado, and a salty crunch from the pepitas.  The sweet/tart vinaigrette pulls it all together really nicely as well.  I roasted a huge sweet potato, and had plenty of the other ingredients on hand, so I was able to enjoy this salad for lunches all week long.  One day I added some feta, and it was a nice addition as well.  I think cotija or queso fresco would be equally tasty.  The recipe for the dressing makes much more than you'll need, so if you don't want to make this salad 50 times, maybe try this chopped salad out?  I think I'm going to make another jar of the dressing, just for that salad!

Not only is this salad healthy and full of super foods, but it is also so pretty and colorful!  And who doesn't like pretty food?

Sweet Potato & Pomegranate Salad with Pepitas and Avocado
Pink Parsley Original
Pomegranate Vinaigrette adapted from Bobby Flay

• 1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed, peeled, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced into thin pieces
• 2-3 Tbs Pomegranate seeds
• 1-2 Tbs roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 8 oz mixed greens

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

• 1 cup Pomegranate juice
• 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 heaping Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs honey
• salt and pepper
• pinch cayenne
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and toss the sweet potato cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast about 20 minutes, stirring once, until they are cooked through and browning around the edges.  Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette.  Add the pomegranate juice to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil until the juice has reduced to about 1/4 cup and has thickened to a syrup.  Set aside to cool slightly, then combine with the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Add the oil, whisking to combine well.  Alternatively, combine it all in a mason jar and just shake it to mix (this is my preferred method).

To assemble the salad, toss the greens with just enough dressing to coat, and top with the sweet potatoes, avocado slices, pomegranate seeds, and pepitas.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.