Oct 012010
Talk about playing with your food….this all started with a picnic on the dock and a quest to find the perfect side to make with sweet potatoes. Everyone does potato salad but I decided to change it up a little and make a fall variation with apples. With the leftover salad I made a meal with crispy tofu croutons and then used the left over dressing on some kale and tied the whole thing together to make one final fresh dish!
Sweet Potato, Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
(Pictured here with Crispy Tofu Croutons)
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean and chopped into bite size cubes
Coarse ground salt and fresh cracked pepper
Dressing
1 apple, cored and diced
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh chives
1 100 calorie pack Craisins
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray cooking spray on a large sheet pan and lay onion and sweet potatoes on top evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes or until just tender but not mushy. Remove from oven and cool.
2. Mix the dressing ingredients in small empty jar** or bowl. Pour 3 Tbsp over potato mixture and reserve the rest. Top with parsley, chives and Craisins. Toss gently to coat.
3. Serve on the side of Black Forest Ham and Goat Cheese Sandwich on Tuscan Roasted Garlic Bread or top with crispy tofu croutons (recipe to follow).
**Tip: This is the perfect time to recycle a small empty glass jar (like the one I used to store beans) such as a baby food jar etc. The dressing can also be stored in this saving some dish washing!
Crispy Tofu Croutons
Ingredients
1 block “lite” tofu
1/4 cup Annie’s Organic Goddess Dressing
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (and olive oil cooking spray)
Coarse ground salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder
Directions
1. **Press the tofu overnight. Drain water and dice tofu into small bite size cubes. Marinate overnight in Annie’s Organic Goddess Dressing.
2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil. Heat over medium high heat. Add tofu and cook each side until crispy. About three minutes per side. Season with salt, pepper and a generous amount of garlic powder, to taste. Cool a bit and top sweet potato apple salad with desired amount of tofu cubes. (Should provide about 4 servings or for me, 2.)
3. Serve mixture over Apple Cider Kale Salad (optional). Recipe to follow.
**Tip: To press tofu you can us a tofu press, where all you have to do is place the tofu in and close the lid, or you can simply put the tofu between two plates and place a book on top to press the water out.
Apple Cider Kale Salad
Ingredients
1 bunch fresh kale, stems removed and chopped
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinaigrette (recipe above)
Coarse salt, fresh ground pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Pour dressing over kale in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. **Massage for three minutes until kale begins to break down a bit.
**Tip: To massage the kale, once the dressing is poured over, simply use your hands to mix in the dressing and squeeze the kale a bit as you go.
And here’s a photo of everything together. It was so fun to play with this recipe that was originally a side!
I was just planning to have cereal for dinner again, but now you made me crave some 'real food'. Such a delicious looking salad!
I guess I'll have to go shopping for some fresh veggies, after all…
This looks delicious! I will be making it very soon. JJ loves sweet potatoes, so I think they will stand out and he won't realize there's tofu… haha
What a lovely meal! This looks like the perfect fall side. Crisp apples, spicy sweet potatoes and a lovely dash of color with the greens. Thank you for sharing a creative, fall-inspired dish. Have a wonderful weekend!
I love how you took this yummy side and made the leftovers into another wonderful dish!
Now that I am on a diet I always look for new ways to make my salad. I love this salad, I am bookmarking this to make it for my lunch.
Thanks for visiting all and the comments!
Great idea for the sweet potatoes…I'm always looking for ways to get away from the typically sweet ideas for sweet potatoes. This sounds great paired with the vinaigrette!
I had a similar sweet potato apple salad in Philly and I completely forgot that I wanted to make it until now. Thanks for the reminder!
I am making this tomorrow for dinner, it looks delicious!
I have to say, I like just about ANYTHING with sweet potatoes. ANd I'm serious. I mean anything. But this fall salad looks just divine!
I love sweet potato salad, what an awesome fall variation. And those protein-packed croutons? They sound amazing! That goddess dressing is pretty darn good.
This looks incredible, and so healthful. Thanks for sharing.
I never thought to marinate tofu before. I'm not sure why because it sounds fantastic.
Hi Dawn! I am so happy to hear you joined a CSA!!!!
Also, this dish looks great.
I have been doing a simple roasting method lately…cut up veggies, fruits, tofu, etc. Toss with a little EVOO, S and P or other spices, and roast at 400 for 25-35 minutes. Super easy and delish!!
I'm SO excited about the CSA. I get my first box of veggies next month. Great tip about the simple roasting!