Black Bean, Quinoa + Sweet Potato Salad with Kale and Corn

This southwestern black bean, quinoa and sweet potato salad with kale, corn, avocado, and tangy lime dressing is just bursting with flavour and colour. Enjoy as a main meal or side dish. 

How about something fresh, vibrant, and healthy to brighten up your Tuesday? I currently have a love affair with this quinoa, black bean, and roasted sweet potato salad. It’s chock full of good stuff: In addition to the three components I just mentioned, we’ve got kale, corn, pepitas, cilantro, avocado, and a tangy, creamy lime-tahini-balsamic dressing. 

With spring now just around the corner, I’m really beginning to crave lighter, fresher tasting fare. Of course, it still has to check off all the boxes from a nutritional standpoint, and it still has to be ultra satisfying. That is where hearty salads such as this one come in handy. 

the details

This salad is easy to make and would be perfect for meal prepping on Sunday and enjoying for lunch throughout the week. It makes four large servings or six smaller servings. You can enjoy it as a meal-sized salad, but I also enjoy serving it as a side dish with eggs, tofu, or wild salmon (if you eat it, of course). The day that I photographed it, I happened to serve it with buckwheat cheese bread (recipe coming in a couple of days) and cilantro pepita pesto from Oh She Glows For Dinner. 

As far as ingredients go, you’ll need sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, quinoa, kale, corn, red onion, cilantro, and avocado for the main part of the salad. For the dressing, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, tahini or sunflower seed butter, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. For garnish, I added some roasted salted pepitas and quick-pickled onions (recipe included in the notes on the recipe card). You could also mix in a few chopped pitted Medjool dates for another layer of sweetness, or you could add some green olives or feta cheese for a punch of salty flavour. You really can’t go wrong with this salad, so be creative with it! 

how to make 

It’s really quite simple to make; you can start by roasting the sweet potatoes. While those are in the oven, cook the quinoa and prepare the other vegetables–the kale, red onion, cilantro, corn, and avocado. Then, prepare the dressing: Simply add all dressing ingredients to a jar and shake to mix. Let the quinoa cool and then transfer it into a large bowl. Once the sweet potato is out of the oven and has had a chance to cool, add it to the bowl, along with all of the vegetables. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with the pepitas and pickled red onion (or whatever other garnishes you like) and serve! 

substitutions and notes

No quinoa on hand? Use an equivalent amount of brown rice instead. It will take 45 minutes to cook. Similarly, if you have no black beans, use an equivalent amount of whatever beans or lentils you have on hand. 

If you’re making this salad ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few days. You might wish to add the avocado right before you are serving it to prevent it from going brown. I also find that the dressing flavour mellows out a fair bit the longer it sits on the salad, so you might want to dress the salad right before serving. I also recommend serving with lime wedges to enliven the flavours even more. 

If you’re looking for more healthy (yet satisfying) salad recipes, be sure to check out: 

• Chickpea Brown Rice Broccoli Salad with Balsamic Tahini Dressing
• Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad (Vegan)
• Santa Fe Salad with Crispy Tofu, Beans, and Cilantro Lime Dressing

Well, I hope that you love this quinoa, black bean, and sweet potato salad with kale and corn! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it: Leave a comment and rating below, and share a photo to Instagram with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love hearing from you, and try my best to respond to each and every comment. 

Enjoy! 

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Black Bean, Quinoa + Sweet Potato Salad with Kale and Corn

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This southwestern black bean, quinoa and sweet potato salad with kale, corn, avocado, and tangy lime dressing is just bursting with flavour and colour. Enjoy as a main meal or side dish.

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Ingredients

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Salad

• 2 heaping cups diced peeled sweet potato (½-inch cubes)
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 ¾ cups water
• 4 cups thinly sliced lacinato/Tuscan kale (from 1 bunch)
• 1 ½ cups cooked black beans (or 1 14-oz can, drained and rinsed)
• ½ cup finely chopped red onion
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup corn (thawed if frozen)
• 1 ripe avocado, diced

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tahini or sunflower seed butter
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Garnishes (choose a couple)

• ⅓ cup roasted, salted pepitas
• Pickled red onions (see note for instructions)
• Chopped pitted Medjool dates
• Chopped pitted green olives
• Crumbled feta cheese

 

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the diced sweet potato in a heap in the middle and drizzle on the olive oil and add a pinch each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and spread out in an even layer. Roast for 25 minutes, or until fork tender and lightly browned around the edges.
2. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. Combine the quinoa, water, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, then lightly fluff with a fork and let cool. Once cool, transfer into a large bowl.
3. Prepare all of the vegetables (slice the kale, chop the onion and cilantro, dice the avocado), and set aside.
4. Next, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar, secure the lid, and shake vigorously to incorporate.
5. Once the sweet potato is cool enough to handle, add it to the bowl with the quinoa. Add the kale, black beans, red onion, cilantro, corn, and avocado, then pour the dressing over top. Toss to coat.
6. Sprinkle with your choice of garnishes and enjoy!

Notes

To make quick-pickled red onions, combine ½ cup of apple cider vinegar/ ½ cup of water, ¾ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup or cane sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, thinly slice a red onion and place it in a heat-proof Mason jar. Once boiling, remove the liquid from the heat and pour it over the onion. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to pickle before enjoying. Store leftovers in the fridge.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Lunch
• Cuisine: Southwestern

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