Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Candied Walnuts

Happy Thanksgiving week!  I’m excited to share a recipe for one of my personal favorite ways to eat kale — tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, candied walnuts, and a light vinaigrette.  Seriously this is SO good!  Though this salad is great all year long, I am pretty sure it could solve once and for all that question that comes up every year in homes all over the country (or is just ours?):  “Do we need both mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving?”

I say: Yes!  And this is a great way to do it.

Now…as I share photos of this salad, I want to clarify:  Those are not beets that you see.

As much as I love beets…this salad has none of them.

The bright purple chunks you see are Okinawa sweet potatoes, or “purple sweet potatoes” as we usually call them.  They are common here in Hawaii, and our family loves the sweetness and slightly firmer texture they offer.  I haven’t figured out if you can get purple sweet potatoes all over the country or not, (feel free to enlighten me on your region) but just to be clear:  any sweet potato will work in this recipe.

As always — you can alter the nuts, greens, and dressing as you like.  Pecans would be a great alternative, and sometimes (often) I toss some crumbled goat cheese in there.

Hope you try it and love it!

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Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Candied Walnuts

Course lunch/dinner

Keyword kale salad, sweet potato, thanksgiving salad

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 146 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cups kale or fresh greens
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter

Dressing

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

   Peel and cut sweet potatoes into small cubes.

   Toss in olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

   Place on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper for easier cleanup) and roast in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping the potatoes over about half-way through. 

   When they are finished, let them cool completely (I often do this step well in advance to be sure they are completely cool before tossing the salad.)

   To make the candied walnuts, combine butter, walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium-high heat.

   Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until nuts are coated and sugar and butter turn into a liquid glaze.

   Place nuts on a large piece of parchment paper and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.  

   For the dressing -- Combine olive oil, honey, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste in a small mason jar or bowl. Shake or stir to combine the honey lemon vinaigrette.

   Toss salad, roasted potatoes, nuts and dressing.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Candied Walnuts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 146 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 7mg2%

Sodium 25mg1%

Potassium 42mg1%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 110IU2%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 10mg1%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Let me know how it goes, especially if you have this as part of your Thanksgiving meal!

I always appreciate when you PIN and share my recipes, and if you share it on social media, be sure to tag me (@monicaswanson_ on instagram, and @monicaswanson – thegrommom on Facebook.)

Here are a few other fun links I found to add to your Thanksgiving: 

1.  This post by my friend Jeannie made the front page of the Fox News website, and has some helpful ideas for fighting entitlement by inspiring gratitude in our kids.

2.  This  Thanksgiving Tree craft  is great for keeping little hands busy and focused on the meaning of the holiday.

3.  This 3-ingredient appetizer over at Skip to My Lou is about exactly what I have time for this year! 🙂  (plus it tastes great!)

4.  My four-layer pumpkin dessert will always and forever be a blog and family favorite!

Also, check out my collection of Thanksgiving PINS on my Pinterest board…I’ve collected everything from yummy recipes to crafts Levi and I have done over the years. 😉

I am beyond grateful for all of you,  and wish you the happiest Thanksgiving!!