Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Shallots
Our next Vegetarian Venture is a recipe my husband and I have been obsessed with since we found it. It has since made its way into our regular week-night rotation, and it’s definitely sticking around! I originally found it on Eating Well, but have since tweaked it a little bit, partly out of necessity.
The week that I found this recipe was the week our oven was out of commission, so I had to figure out a different way to cook the shallots and sweet potato wedges. Cue one of my new favorite things, the air fryer! Cooking shallots (or onions) in the air fryer is genius because you can achieve the caramelized look and flavor in a lot less time if you’re in a pinch or pressed for time. Sweet potato wedges are probably a no-brainer to cook in the air fryer, but the timing of those is important. I made this at least twice before figuring out the right cook time, but now they come out perfect. I prefer my sweet potato fries a little on the crispier side, so if you don’t want them too crispy (or vice versa) I would recommend checking on them every few minutes while they’re cooking.
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t actually know what “massaging” kale entailed until I made this, and to be honest, who knows if I’m doing it right! It seems like the kind of thing that you can’t really mess up though. The original recipe also doesn’t tell you how to cook the quinoa or what to do with the black beans, if anything. The first time I made it, I cooked the quinoa and had the beans separated, but I have since started adding the beans to the cooked quinoa so they cook a little bit themselves. This is totally a personal preference, but I think it comes out better that way.
We love this recipe because while it’s super healthy, it’s also pretty filling and easy to make during the week. It’s also adjustable; if you want to season your shallots or sweet potatoes with something else or more than just chili powder, go for it!
Everything about this one is delicious, I dare you not to love it.
Enjoy!
-S
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
5 tbs olive oil
2 tsps Chili powder
1/2 tsp salt, divided
6 medium shallots, peeled & quartered
3 tbs lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced or grated
1 pound of kale, stemmed and torn
15 oz can low sodium black beans
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup unsalted pepitas, toasted
Method:
Toss sweet potato wedges with 1 tbs oil, chili powder and 1/8 tsp salt in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, toss shallots with 1 tbs of oil and 1/8 tsp salt.
Preheat an air fryer to 375 ° for 3 minutes. Pour shallots into air fryer basket and spread them evenly in a single layer. Cook for 10 minutes in the air fryer, flipping them halfway through until they have the desired caramelized look. Once done, pour back into a bowl and set aside.
For the sweet potatoes, set air fryer to 350° and arrange them in a single layer (ish) in the basket. Cook for 9 minutes, flip, then cook for another 5 or until they reach desired crispness. Pour back into bowl and set aside.
If you’re using an oven rather than an air fryer, roast vegetables at 425° for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Whisk the lemon juice and garlic with remaining tbs of olive oil and 1/4 tsp of salt in a large bowl. Add kale and massage with dressing until bright green and shiny.
In serving bowl or on a plate, add kale, beans and quinoa, feta and pepitas. Top with shallots and sweet potato wedges and serve.
