Once upon a time, I lived in a hellish salad limbo. I was stuck in a vicious cycle that only consisted of the same three boring salads- I'm looking at you, Coleslaw, Garden, and Caesar. In this dark time of vegetable monotony, I decided to take charge of my own destiny. I set out to create a salad that was eclectic yet nutritious, and wouldn't leave me hungry an hour after consumption. I have accordingly dubbed it as the "cycle-breaking salad" (try saying that three times).
What makes this salad so special is that it contains all three primary macronutrients as well as some extra pizazz:
-The turkey bacon and manchego cheese provide protein.
-The avocado, olive oil, and almonds are perfect sources of healthy fats.
-The sweet potatoes give us lil' somethings we all know and love called carbs (with a remarkable boost of fiber!)
-And if that wasn't enough, flax seeds, apple cider vinegar, kale, and sprouts are basically the Avengers of the food world, possessing a unique array of superpowers that combat any evil trying to harm your body (aka, a cold).
"Cycle-Breaking Salad" Recipe
- Prep Time:25 secs
- Cook Time:45 secs
- Total Time:1 min 10 secs
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 2 to 3 sweet potatoes
- 1 avocado
- 2 strips turkey bacon
- 14 oz baby kale
- 2 oz sprouts
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts
- 1 tbsp flax seeds
- Copious amounts manchego cheese
- any other add-ins you would like ie: cherry tomatoes
- For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 avocado
- For the sweet potato spice blend:
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 pepper
- salt to taste
Ingredients
-
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into wedges (the yellow color is because they are Japanese sweet potatoes!). Place in a pan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
-
Step 2
Combine all the ingredients for the spice blend in a bowl. Sprinkle contents of bowl on the sweet potatoes.
-
Step 3
With gloves on, massage the sweet potatoes to ensure each wedge is evenly coated with the oil and the spices- this is the trick to extra flavor fries!
Pop the tray in the oven for 40 mins or until golden-brown. -
Step 4
Gather your ingredients for the salad dressing.
-
Step 5
Start by smashing the avocado in a bowl using a fork, then add all the other ingredients of the dressing. Keep stirring until combined.
-
Step 6
Cook the two strips of turkey bacon until nice and crispy.
-
Step 7
Dice the avocado that garnishes the salad.
#spoontip : the easiest way to get even cubes is to run the knife along the avocado while keeping the skin intact. Then just scoop the cubes with a spoon. -
Step 8
Gather all the add-ins that will garnish the salad (nuts, bacon, avocado, manchego, flax seeds, etc...). Add any other toppings that you want! Be spontaneous! I added cherry tomatoes because I'm WILD. Just remember to chop everything into bite-size pieces, you crazy child.
-
Step 9
This is where it gets fun. Get creative!! Build your salad however you want. Channel your inner salt bae and sprinkle your garnishes in an insta worthy manner. I believe in you, young grasshopper.
Finally, enjoy the beautiful mess that you have created. Happy eating!!