Hearty, healthy, and packed with flavor, this gluten-free and dairy-free Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing is what January clean-eating dreams are made of!
A few weeks ago on Instagram Stories (are you following me? @grain.changer) I asked you what you wanted to see more of on the blog – Instant Pot recipes or no Instant Pot recipes, sweet (treats) vs. savory (meals), grain-free vs. gluten-free, and healthyish vs. sinful.
There was a resounding request for more savory, healthy-ish options. And while you know I love a good gluten-free chocolate chip cookie or 12, I couldn’t have been more excited to hear this from you!
Truth be told, a lot more salads and light, healthy meals happen around our house than this blog would probably lead you to believe. While I wish (wo)man could live on quick bread alone, alas, we cannot. Plus, more [DELICIOUS] healthy food and less cake in your face only helps with keeping those resolutions, right? Wins all around.
Without further ado, let’s talk about my favorite salad everrrr: Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing.
Seriously habit-forming doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Yes, a salad can be habit-forming and even addictive. I know from first hand experience – I think I first slapped this roasted sweet potato and kale salad together over two years ago and have since eaten it more times than I can count on my fingers and toes 50 times over. I swear I wake up craving it sometimes.
There are worse things, AMIRITE?
And it’s a cinch to throw together.
If your winter refrigerator staples are anything like my winter refrigerator staples, you probably have most of these ingredients on hand without any extra prep. It’s actually how the salad recipe came about, and how 99% of my lunches come to be as well: start with a bed of greens, pile on all the leftovers – roasted sweet potato and quinoa in this case – sprinkle on a few nuts and other fixin’s, throw together a random dressing made with whatever you have on hand (lemon and tahini are a magical match!), and call it a meal.
But it’s so much more than a meal! It’s heaven in a bowl.
Ok, there I go again talking about salad like it’s chocolate, but just wait until you try this!
This salad is also totally customizable to work with whatever you have on hand/ in the pantry, but there are a few key items that I beg of you not to omit or swap: the roasted sweet potato, the apple, and the quinoa. Those three things are absolutely essential! Their flavor profiles and textures complement each other perfectly, and make this salad what it is.
But the nuts and other fixin’s – swap to your heart’s content! I reaaaally love the toasted slivered almonds on this salad, but have also had zero complaints when I’ve swapped in pecans, walnuts, and even sunflower seeds.
Other great additions: craisins, goat cheese, or shaved Parmesan. Mmmm.
Oh and BTW this salad is worthy of so much more than lunch. We often have this for dinner in the winter, too, especially after a Costco trip when I simply can’t resist one of their rotisserie chickens. That chicken is an amaaaaazing addition to this salad.
In fact, I think I might have to make a trip this week just to work that into the dinner rotation 
And friends – from the bottom of my heart – thank you for your push on Instagram to get me to share more of our everyday eats and healthy meals. I can’t wait to share more gems like this with you in the coming weeks and months!
- Salad:
- 3 cups rinsed and finely chopped kale, stem removed.
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 medium apple, chopped
- ¾ cup roasted sweet potato chunks*
- ⅓ cup roasted slivered almonds
- Dressing:
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients.
- In a mason jar with lid or a salad shaker bottle, combine all dressing ingredients, shaking vigorously, until combined and smooth. Drizzle over salad ingredients, and toss the salad well.
- Divide into 2 portions for a meal, or 4 portions as a side dish.
- Enjoy!
** If you can tolerate dairy, goat cheese or shaved Parmesan makes a great addition to this salad!
On Instagram? Be sure to follow me and tag me in your posts (and use the hashtag #grainchanger) for a chance to be featured!
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