Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Chickpea Spinach Salad with Yogurt Dill dressing

When I was a little kid, salad predominantly meant a combination of onions, tomatoes and cucumbers with a pinch of salt, pepper and lime juice. Mostly in Indian households, salad is a side-dish and is hardly prepared or served as the main dish. Only stepping out of India got me to know that salads can get as creative and satisfying as you would want them to be! A main-course salad dish has since then become one of my go-to meals on a hectic day. They can not only fill you up with fiber and protein, salads are quick to pull together and make a nice filling meal on a hot day.

The following recipe includes the goodness of sweet potatoes, black chickpeas, spinach and avocados. Black chickpea (Or Kala Chana) has a very high fiber content and low glycemic index, which makes this a powerfood for those fighting Diabetes. Sweet potatoes, baked or roasted, make a wonderful substitution to normal potatoes when cutting carbs. The addition of spinach and avocado adds on to the overall nutritional element of this dish. The other day, I got my hands on fresh dill weed, a lovely herb that is known to have disease preventing, health promoting properties. Whipping up a quick and healthy dill yogurt dressing can be sheer bliss for any salad recipe.

Sometimes, a colorful hearty salad is all you need for a stellar meal!

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes – 2 (peeled)

Black chickpeas / Kala chana – a handful (soaked for 5-6 hours)

Italian herb seasoning – 1/4 tsp

Spinach leaves – washed and chopped roughly

Avocado- peeled and cubed

Onion – 1 (finely chopped)

Tomato – 1 (finely chopped) [Alternatively, you can use halved cherry tomatoes]

For the dressing:

Yogurt – 1 tbsp

Fresh Dill weed – Roughly chopped

Pesto flavored Olive Oil – 1 tsp (You can also use EVOO)

Salt – to taste

Black pepper – 1/4 tsp

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Lemon zest – 1/4 tsp

Method:

Peel the sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 190 degree celsius.

Rub the sweet potatoes with some salt, pepper, mixed Italian herb seasoning and olive oil. Sprinkle dill on top. Bake them in the oven for around 20-25 mins or until they are done.

Pressure cook the black chickpeas for 20 mins. Saute them in a pan with very little oil, red chilli powder, cumin powder, some salt and black pepper powder for a few mins.

Prepare the dressing by mixing yogurt, dill, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest.

P.S: Be careful with the salt in dressing as we are adding salt to the sweet potatoes and chickpeas too. 

 

Now assemble the salad.

In a large mixing bowl, add the finely chopped onions, tomatoes and the cubed avocados.

Add the roasted sweet potatoes, spiced black chickpeas and the washed spinach leaves.

Drizzle the yogurt dill dressing on top.

Give everything a good mix and pop the salad into the fridge for at least 30 mins.

The lovely colorful healthy salad can be enjoyed as a main-course meal. It is filling nutritious and delicious, and a great way to have a one-bowl meal with all healthy ingredients combined together! Enjoy.