If I'm going to be completely honest, this salad came together very quickly, with very little planning, all thanks to a spontaneous evening picnic. As usual, I offered to contribute a salad (I guess you could say it's my thing), but had literally zero time to dash to the shops.
I scouted the fridge to see what I had to work with: a few cobs of corn, kale, sweet potato, sprouts and parsley. Okay. All workable ingredients. I got this.
I began with roasting the corn in some spices and chilli flakes, and the sweet potato in cinnamon and paprika (best combo!). The kale was massaged in olive oil and lemon juice. I chopped some parsley. Sprinkled some sprouts, black sesame seeds and drizzle of tahini. And ta-da. Done!
As it turned out, the salad was actually quite a hit. It was a tasty little combo and super easy to make.
Can you spot my salad in the picnic spread? (Which was, in my biased opinion, the greatest picnic spread of all time)
P.S. Incase you were wondering why the salad looks slightly different in the below photos, that's because I added a can of chickpeas - very last minute - and totally optional.
1 medium bunch kale
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cubed
4 corn cobs
Sprouts (I used snow pea sprouts)
1-2 tsp chilli flakes (depending on heat preferences)
Cinnamon
Paprika
Sea salt (I use Himalayan pink salt)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp coconut oil (or use more olive oil)
1/2 lemon, juice
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
Black sesame seeds (optional)
1 can chickpeas (optional)
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan forced.
2. In a bowl coat and toss corn cobs in 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil), chilli flakes and a good sprinkle of sea salt. In a separate bowl, coat and toss the chopped sweet potato in 1 tbsp coconut oil, cinnamon and paprika.
3. Spread corn and sweet potato evenly on a cooking tray and place in oven for approx 30 minutes.
4. Whilst the vegetables are roasting, shred the kale and place into a bowl. Coat in the olive oil, lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt and massage for a few minutes until the leaves begin to soften.
5. Once cooked, remove the roast vegetables from the oven and allow to cool. Mix with all remaining ingredients (sprouts, parsley and chickpeas, if desired) and serve with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
Optional: a drizzle of tahini takes the flavours in the salad to the next level! Highly recommended.