Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad

Although it wasn’t always this way, these days I like to think I eat relatively well. The more I’ve read recently though, the more I realise that while my diet doesn’t necessary involve a lot of what you might consider ‘unhealthy’ foods, I’m probably not really getting the nutrients I should be. I also have a bit of a (read: major) sugar addiction. So for these reasons I’ve decided to give my diet a bit of a shake up – nothing crazy mind you, because I see no point in setting myself up for failure. The aim is simple – less processed foods, less added sugars and more nutrient rich vegies, seeds, fruits etc.

 My lovely friend Kate is kind of a guru in this area. She’s super-fit, full of energy and really motivated. In fact (and she may kill me for revealing this) she’s so motivated she’s been known to yell at herself during training sessions. Anyway, she’s inspired me and encouraged me, and last night I made the MOST DELICIOUS SALAD OF MY LIFE. There are no real measurements for the salad ingredients, basically you just make it to taste (although I’ll give you my approximations)

Quinoa and sweet potato salad with lemon and apple cider vinegar dressing

Salad ingredients
I cup of quinoa, cooked according to packet
Thinly sliced capsicum (one, small)
Diced sweet potato baked with a little coconut oil (two medium sized)
Diced tomato (one, small)
Kale sautéed in a touch of coconut oil (six stems, stalks removed)
Avocado (half, large sized)
Persian fetta (just a sprinkle on top)
Coconut oil

Dressing (combine all and drizzle over salad before serving)
Apple cider vinegar (1 tbs)
Seeded mustard (1 tbs)
Lemon juice (big squeeze)
Olive oil (splash)
Honey (1 tsp)

To make the salad
Combine cooked quinoa, sweet potato, kale (all still warm) with capsicum, tomato and avocado. Sprinkle fetta on top. DONE. All up I’d say it took me 30 – 40 minutes, but that’s really just due to baking time for the sweet potato.

Makes enough for around four decent sized servings. I had mine with a small, beautifully cooked steak (thanks James).

And the best news of all? Plenty of leftovers! Last night when I got home from training, there it was waiting for me. I just threw in a tin of tuna and enjoyed it again – with a twist!

Final note – I hope my recipe is easy enough to follow – I’ve never really written one out before, so any questions, let me know!

Final final note – apologies again for the quality of my photos – I really need to do a course or something…