This autumn salad is an old revival from the Co-op Café. It pairs kale with cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes, spicy chickpeas, toasted almonds, and chewy dried cranberries. The shallots give it a nice bite to counteract the sweetness. It’s a great holiday side, though it’s so delicious you’ll want to eat it any day of the week!
On the Ingredients
- Kale is actually a type of cabbage. There are many cultivars classified by leaf type: curly leaf, bumpy leaf (Tuscan, lacinato, dinosaur), sparkly leaf, plain leaf (Russian), leaf and spear or feathery-type, and ornamental. Kale is highly nutritious and has a lot of benefits. (Read more about kale.)
- Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are a legume that’s been cultivated in the Middle East for centuries. They’re an excellent source of plant proteins and have some great nutritional elements. Chickpeas contain manganese, folate (vitamin B9), copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, thiamine, vitamin B6, selenium, and potassium. Because of their high fiber, chickpeas may help keep you feeling full longer, aid in digestion, and help regulate blood sugar. (Read more on the health benefits.)
- Sweet potato is a starchy tuber that is only distantly related to the common potato. Sometimes in the US, darker hued sweet potatoes are called yams, but technically, true yams are a tuber even more distantly related. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They’re particularly high in vitamin A with 213% of the daily value contained in one cup. Sweet potatoes are lower on the glycemic index than a common potato, making them much better for people with blood sugar issues. (Read more about sweet potatoes.)
Vegan Autumn Kale Salad with Spicy Chickpeas
6
servings15
minutes25
minutes40
minutesThis autumn salad is an old revival from the Co-op Café. It pairs kale with cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes, spicy chickpeas, toasted almonds, and chewy dried cranberries. The shallots give it a nice bite to counteract the sweetness. It’s a great holiday side, though it’s so delicious you’ll want to eat it any day of the week!
Ingredients
1 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into bite-sized slices)
1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil (separated)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chipotle
pinch of cayenne
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
1 bunch of Russian kale (or other variety)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Mix the sweet potato slices with 1/4 cup olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread them on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes until they are soft inside.
- You may wish to stir them a few times during cooking. While it’s cooking, drain the can of chickpeas and rinse them. Mix with 2 tsp of olive oil and the remaining spices (salt and pepper to taste).
- Put the chickpeas on a baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes until they are browned and slightly crisp on the outside.
- Chiffonade the kale and up it in your salad bowl. Put the warm sweet potatoes and chickpeas on top and let them cool like that, wilting the kale a little in the process.
- Lightly toast the almond slices in the oven for about 8 minutes.
- Combine the almonds, dried cranberries, shallots, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and kale. Toss with the remaining olive oil and serve.
