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    Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto

    March 13, 2017 By Rene 3 Comments

    This Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto is nutty, tangy and filled with a whole lot of greens. Perfect recipe to kick off Spring.

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    Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto | ThisSavoryVegan.com

    I'm in love with this salad that I'm sharing today. It is tangy, nutty, and has a whole lotta greens going on. Get ready to be in salad heaven with this Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto.

    Let's start with this delicious cilantro pesto. Fresh cilantro is combined with pine nuts, red onion, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil - the outcome is a creamy and fresh dressing you could use on anything.

    Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto | ThisSavoryVegan.com

    As for the sweet potatoes, I used my spiralizer to get them thin and crispy. You can find one similar to mine here.

    Don't have a spiralizer? No problem.

    You could grate these or just cut them into chunks - just be mindful of the cooking time, as the thicker they are the longer they need in the oven.

    This salad is the perfect kick-off to spring. Eat it hot or cold - great for BBQs or picnics.

    Need some more salad inspo? Check out my White Bean Arugula Salad or my Chopped Salad with Tofu Feta!

    Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto | ThisSavoryVegan.com
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    5 from 2 votes

    Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto

    This Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto is nutty, tangy and filled with a whole lot of greens. Perfect recipe to kick off Spring.
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 4

    Ingredients

    FOR THE CILANTRO PESTO

    • 1 bunch cilantro large stems removed
    • ¼ cup roasted pine nuts
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • ½ red onion roughly chopped
    • 1 jalapeno roughly chopped
    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
    • ½ cup olive oil
    • salt and pepper to taste

    FOR THE SWEET POTATOES

    • 1 large sweet potato spiralized
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • salt and pepper to taste

    FOR THE SALAD

    • ½ cup uncooked quinoa
    • 1 cup water
    • ½ cup fresh peas
    • 1 can red kidney beans drained and rinsed
    • 4 cups baby spinach

    Instructions

    • FOR THE DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients, except for the salt and pepper, in a food processor. Blend on high, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Transfer pesto to a bowl and add salt and pepper. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.
    • FOR THE POTATOES: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with non-stick spray. Cut off the tips of the sweet potato and use a spiralizer to cut potato.* Spread potatoes out on baking sheet and top with olive oil and garlic. Mix to coat evenly. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip potatoes and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes.** Remove from the oven and top with salt and pepper.
    • FOR THE QUNIOA: While the potatoes are cooking, place quinoa and water in a pot over high heat. When water begins to bowl, turn heat to low and cover the pot. Steam quinoa for 10 minutes. Add peas and beans to the pan and stir to combine. Allow to heat through for an additional 5 minutes.
    • TO ASSEMBLE: Layer a cup of spinach on a plate, followed by ½ cup of quinoa mixture, ¼ of sweet potatoes and cilantro pesto to taste. Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    *If you don't have a spiralizer, you can grate the potato or cut it into chunks - just be mindful that this may affect cooking times.
    **You may get a couple of pieces that get overly crispy. Be sure to check on potatoes to make sure they don't burn.

    This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Please know I would never link a product unless I have personally used it and loved it!

    If you make this recipe be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!

    Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with Vegan Cilantro Pesto | ThisSavoryVegan.com
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathy Richards

      October 29, 2018 at 5:41 pm

      5 stars
      Ok this looks fantastic! Actually all your stuff looks wonderful, and the stuff I’ve made was delish! I’m going to make this next week.

      Reply
      • Rene

        October 30, 2018 at 10:02 am

        Thanks so much! Enjoy!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. How to Build the Vegan BLT of Your DREAMS - Glue & Glitter says:
      March 22, 2019 at 7:01 am

      […] to pesto! Talk about bringing the flavor. Go with a standard basil pesto, or splash out with cilantro pesto, sage pesto or sorrel […]

      Reply

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    Hey, nice to meet you!

    I’m Rene! So-cal native, dog mom and lover of all things spicy. Learn more.

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