Quinoa rainbow fiesta with roasted sweet potatoes & zesty vinaigrette
This quinoa and sweet potato salad dish focuses on whole foods and simple, fresh ingredients. It’s a colorful, nutritious dish that combines the subtle nuttiness of quinoa with the earthy sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Peruvian
Keyword potatoes, quinoa, vegetarian
Prep Time 8 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Calories 281kcal
Ingredients
Quinoa
1cupwhite quinoa
1tablespoonolive oil
½teaspoonsalt
2cupswater
Other ingredients
2cupssweet potatoeschopped ½ inch cubes
1tablespoonolive oil
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonblack pepper
½tablespooncumin
1/3cupkidney beans or black beans
1bell pepper
½ - 1cupleeksoptional
1/3cupred onion
1/3cupcranberriesoptional
1largeavocado
Vinaigrette
¼cupbalsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1lime or lemonsqueezed
¼cupolive oil or virgin olive oil
1teaspoonoregano
1tablespoonhoney or maple syrup
1tablespoongarlicchopped
Optional toppings
Toasted cashews or any type of nuts
Parsley
Instructions
For the Quinoa
Wash and strain the quinoa.
In a pot at medium heat, mix in quinoa, olive oil, and salt. Mix these for 3-5 minutes to bring out the nutty flavor.
Pour in the water and simmer for 15–20 minutes, mixing often.
Once there isn’t any water left, place this in a bowl to cool down.
Other ingredients
If you want, you can use the same pot to heat up the strained kidney beans after cooking the quinoa. Put the beans aside once they're hot enough.
In a bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and cumin, making sure to mix them well.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10–15 minutes in an oven preheated to 390°F or 200°C.
Once it’s done baking, gently toss it and continue baking for an additional 10–15 minutes until it reaches the desired texture of either soft or crisp.
When baking, dice the bell peppers into small, uniform pieces, and slice the leeks to your preferred thickness.
Take the red onion and roughly chop it, then slice the avocados into big squares.
Feel free to toast the cashews for 7–10 minutes for an extra flavor boost.
To Arrange
To make the vinaigrette, combine the following ingredients: Balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (without seeds), olive oil, oregano, honey, and garlic. Reserve it for later.
Place the roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries, leeks, kidney beans, bell peppers, and red onions over the quinoa. Mix well.
Add the sauce and avocado, carefully folding to avoid mashing the avocados.
Serve warm or cold, topped with cashews and parsley.