Rainbow Sweet Potato Kale Salad

Why This Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing Recipe Is Special:

I truly could not be more excited about today's sweet potato salad with tahini dressing recipe, because this is one of my staples! There are so many recipes that I make all the time, yet haven't gotten around to photographing. This is one of those recipes.

f I am going to make a salad recipe it has to check three boxes: easy, affordable, and healthy! This sweet potato kale salad recipe checks all those boxes!

It's easy, because it only requires about 10 minutes of hands on cooking. It's affordable because it's made up of budget friendly ingredients. And lastly, it's healthy, because it is full of rainbow nutrient rich ingredients.

How to make this Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing:

A little fun fact about me is that my favorite food ever is sweet potatoes. In college (pre the all natural vegan days) I ate sweet potatoes drenched in tahini almost every single day! There's something about the combo that is just out of this world delicious. But wait, it gets better! There's more to love than just the traditional orange sweet potato. This kale sweet potato salad with tahini dressing actually features three types of sweet potatoes that all have their own unique flavors! You can find all of these sweet potatoes at Whole Foods, or any health grocery store.

This Rainbow Sweet Potato Salad is a favorite, because it is so simple! My favorite recipes are honestly the ones that don't take long and don't have too many ingredients. This sweet potato and kale salad is exactly that. You can find all the ingredients to this salad at most grocery stores, you just need a sheet ban, and maybe 5 minutes of prep time.

How To Roast Vegetables Without Oil:

Another fact about myself is that I never cook with oil. Why not? In my opinion oil adds unnecessary fat and calories to a meal. I personally am a volume eater. Over the years I have found that eating meals that are lower in calorie density work out better for me. This Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing is the perfect healthy filling vegan salad for all my fellow volume eaters, because it is oil-free!

How to roast vegetables without oil? Let me introduce you to silicone baking mats my friends! I have been hooked on silicone baking mats since the first time I used them, because they work so well. All you have to do to roast your food without oil is place them on the baking mats and you are good to go! It is that simple! They made this roasted sweet potato and kale recipe incredibly easy and healthy.

Why I Love This Rainbow Sweet Potato Salad:

Besides the fact that sweet potatoes are my favorite food, there are plenty of other reasons why I love this rainbow sweet potato salad! First, this sweet potato kale salad recipe is loaded with superfoods! I feel like in 2022 we all know why kale is good for us.

However, let's talk about sprouts! I recently started sprouting my own sprouts, and guys it has been a game-changer! It's so cost efficient and sprouts are insanely healthy. I have been adding them to my meals constantly and I have been feeling amazing.

There's more to this healthy vegan salad than just kale and sprouts, this sweet potato kale salad with tahini dressing features purple sweet potatoes which are full of antioxidants! If you're looking to add more nutrients to your meals, I always recommend looking for super colorful foods!

Best Greens For Healthy Meal Prep:

I talk about how I used to be a huge meal prepper back in college, because I was just making food for myself. Over the years of making plant based salad recipes I discovered what worked best and what did not. There were some salad recipes that I developed that I thought would store well in the fridge, but ended up getting soggy real quick. However after many salads I have become an expert salad meal prepper and I can tell you what works, and what does not work.

Kale is the answer! I am telling you that there is not a green that stores better in the fridge than kale. It is truly amazing! Not only will it not get soggy, but it will also absorb the flavors of the dressing and become super flavorful.

Ingredients for this Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing:

Kale Sweet Potato Salad:

• Kale
• Sprouts
• Purple Sweet Potatoes
• Japanese Sweet Potatoes
• Orange Sweet Potatoes
• Sesame Seeds

Tahini Dressing:

• Tahini
• Lemon
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder

How To Make Vegan Tahini Dressing:

The vegan tahini dressing for this sweet potato kale salad recipe has to be one of my favorite dressings ever. I love anything tahini, and this tahini dressing is my go-to salad dressing recipe.

You only need a few ingredients and a whisk to make this tahini salad dressing recipe. It is so simple! I do want to point out that you should be picky with your tahini, because some are truly horrendous, and others are pure liquid gold. Personally I love Soom, and Mighty Sesame Co.!

To make this dressing, all you have to do is combine all the ingredients with ¼ cup of water. It's important to add water to achieve the right consistency. The water also helps to lower the calorie density of the dressing. Everybody wins!

How To Make The Sweet Potato Kale Salad:

Making kale for salads can be difficult. If you don't know how to properly prepare kale it will come out stiff and to be completely honest, gross. However I have made many kale salad recipes, so I've figured out the best practices.

The key to making the best kale salads is to massage the kale. Massaging kale is basically just rubbing the kale through your hands (imagine you are picking up sand and pressing it through your hands). Many kale salads use oil to massage the kale. However this tahini dressing is oil-free.

Luckily you can still achieve the right kale texture by massaging the kale with the tahini, because it is a high fat (healthy fat!) food. I always opt for using ingredients like tahini instead of oil, because they are whole foods plant based. Therefore they contain fiber and other nutrients that oils are typically stripped of.

For the rest of the salad ingredients all you have to do is simply slice the sweet potatoes into half moons and bake until soft. Add to the bowl with the sprouts and kale, and coat with tahini dressing.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Is Tahini?

Tahini is one of those foods that I'd never heard of before going vegan. However it quickly became a staple in my diet. Tahini is ground up sesame seeds - that's it!

I love tahini, because it is more runny than nut butter, but still contains fiber and other nutrients unlike oil. This makes it the perfect oil-free salad dressing ingredient!

Is Tahini Good For You?

Tahini like all other seed and nut butters is not a low fat food. However I can assure you that it is still very healthy for you. Chances are if you're making a salad you need some sort of fat substance for the dressing.

Many people think oil based dressings are the healthiest. While oil based dressings are healthier than dairy based dressings, the ultimate healthy dressing are whole foods plant based like this tahini dressing.

Since tahini is ground and not pressed all the fiber stays in tact. Fiber is so crucial to a healthy diet, so my rule of thumb is to always go with the higher fiber option.

Which Sweet Potato Color Is The Best?

A little fun fact about myself is that sweet potatoes are my favorite food.In college I had a sweet potato for lunch almost every single day, and I loved it. However it wasn't until my senior year that I discovered all the varieties.

To my surprise the standard orange sweet potato that I had spent years loving wasn't even the best one! In my opinion the Japanese sweet potato is by far the best. It has a sweet almost caramel taste and is super creamy.

I also love the purple sweet potato variety, because it contains more antioxidants than the other varieties. I loved using all three in this Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing, because they are all unique and delicious!

Should You Eat The Skin On Sweet Potatoes:

If you don't eat sweet potatoes often you may not be sure how to prepare them. Do you need to peel sweet potatoes? Nope! You can totally eat the skin. You should eat the skin.

The skin is loaded with nutrients and does not effect the taste. If you ask my Mom she'll say it absolutely does affect it, but I say you give it a try. Ultimately it's up to you. Whatever way you will enjoy it the most is the way you should make it!

Related Recipes:

• Sweet Potato Beet Burger
• Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies
• Rainbow Kale Salad
• Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Winter Vegetable Risotto