Given the nature of my work as nutrition coach and food educator, it’s not uncommon for my boyfriend to ask me for healthy lunch and dinner ideas. It always makes me really happy to get this request, and it always leads me down a rabbit’s hole of research and recipe development. Too health-conscious to recommend the good ol’ American classic, sandwich and chips, and too obsessed with creating crave-worthy food to suggest a mere green salad, I always take his requests as a challenge. I only succeed when the recipe meets my tried and true trifecta: keep it simple, pack it full of nutrient-dense whole foods and make it taste damn good.
This Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing checks all three boxes. I typicaly have the majority of these healthy ingredients on hand (sweet potatoes, chickpeas, onions, non-fat Greek yogurt, lemons, garlic and cilantro), so it was a no-brainer for me and having now significantly influenced his shopping cart I knew it wouldn’t be a stretch for him. Plus, it takes only 4 easy steps to bring this meal together!
Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
(makes 4 servings)
What You’ll Need
For the Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad:
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg, cloves, ginger
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
For the Greek Yogurt Dressing:
- 1 medium garlic clove (finely minced if you don’t have a food processor or blender)
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2-3 Tbs water
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato, garlic, spices, olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt.Toss until all pieces are evenly coated. Roast on a baking sheet for 30 min, or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- While the sweet potatoes roast, make the Greek yogurt dressing. In a food processor (or blender), add all ingredients and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. You may opt to add more water to thin it out.
- To bring it all together, combine the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, onion and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add half the dressing, toss (careful not to mash up the potatoes) and serve with the additional dressing on the side.
Enjoy this recipe right away. Otherwise, set aside the portion of the salad you don’t plan to eat undressed and save a small container of the dressing. You can then reheat the salad when you’re ready and top with the creamy, lemony-goodness.
Inspired by Smitten Kitchen.