Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

“Before you came into my life I missed you so bad. I missed you so, so bad.” –Carly Rae Jepsen on Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

Side dishes are my favorite. You serve an excellent piece of meat or fish, but you pair it with something lame? MEALBREAKER. So, earlier this week I spent an embarrassing amount of time strutting around the grocery store with Nicki Minaj in my earphones and some halibut steaks in my shopping basket, waiting to be struck with a brilliant idea for how to round out my meal. Considering the fact that the air-conditioning in my apartment was broken, I was also conscious of minimizing the whole “slaving over a hot stove” thing. Inspiration struck when I noticed the display of corn next to the sweet potatoes. Sold! I had also walked by a Chipotle earlier, so Mexican twist seemed like the natural way to go. A few short hours later, Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad was born. A light and slightly sweet salad gets a kick from a spicy lime dressing. You’ll love it.

The best part about this salad is that it can be served with pretty much anything (and it’s pretty badass on its own). I suggest topping it with a grilled piece of fish, chicken, or steak and a dollop of fresh guacamole. Que fiesta, bitches! You can also throw leftover salad into a pan with some eggs and cheddar cheese for a southwestern scramble…instant fancy breakfast.*

*If you are lucky enough to have an overnight guest, this is a VERY impressive breakfast to whip up in minutes. Impressive enough to turn that summer fling into a relationship. Just saying…

What’s up, fancy frittata?

Reader Testimonial:

My friend Annie (see: “Annie’s Artisinal Cheese Plate”) called earlier this week stressed about what to bring to her office pot-luck the next day. I suggested this salad based on its simplicity and awesomeness factor, and girlfriend made me proud. According to Annie, “everyone LOVED it and asked for the recipe.” This warmed my heart because I love to witness my friends’ domestic triumphs. I also love compliments.

Annie’s salad. The accompanying text read “Aboomba!” Aboomba, indeed.

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad: (Serves 6)

Preparing your salad:

-Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes, and chop them into one inch cubes. Place them in a roasting pan (or on a baking sheet), drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss to coat.

-Roast sweet potatoes for approximately 25 minutes or until very tender, turning twice.

-Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and add the corn kernels with a pinch of salt. Saute until the corn is cooked through, about five minutes. I like to let mine brown a little bit.

-Pour the black beans into a strainer and rinse them well with water (sometimes they have a weird aluminum taste from the can…gross).

-Chop the red bell pepper and onion into a medium dice.

-In a large bowl combine the sweet potatoes, corn, black beans, onion, and pepper.

Preparing your dressing:

-Whisk all of the ingredients together. It’s not rocket science, people.

-Dress your salad. I like to refrigerate this for at least 20 minutes, but it can also be served at room temperature. Add the fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.

A masterpiece. It’s not conceited if it’s true.

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

Author - Serena Wolf

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 Sweet Potatoes peeled and cubed
• 2 ears of corn kernels removed
• 1 ½ cup black beans drained and rinsed (about half a large can)
• 1 large red bell pepper finely chopped
• ½ red onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
• Olive oil

For the Spicy Lime Dressing:

• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp honey or agave syrup
• 1 tsp hot sauce such as Cholula, or more if you’re feeling wild
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes, and chop them into one inch cubes. Place them in a roasting pan (or on a baking sheet), drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Roast sweet potatoes for approximately 25 minutes or until very tender, turning twice.
• Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and add the corn kernels with a pinch of salt. Saute until the corn is cooked through, about five minutes. I like to let mine brown a little bit.
• Pour the black beans into a strainer and rinse them well with water (sometimes they have a weird aluminum taste from the can…gross).
• Chop the red bell pepper and onion into a medium dice.
• In a large bowl combine the sweet potatoes, corn, black beans, onion, and pepper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
• Dress your salad. I like to refrigerate this for at least 20 minutes, but it can also be served at room temperature. Add the fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.