Vegetarian Recipe: Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Mark Bittman is the food writer for the New York Times. His is the author of Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes andHow to Cook Everything. He first shared this recipe for Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad on August 1, 2009.

Photo: David Lifson

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or other small-kernel grain or 1 cup raw

1 large or 2 medium (about 1 lb) sweet potatoes

Salt

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

1/4 cup minced red onion or shallot

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup minced fresh chives or parsley leaves

1. If you haven’t already, cook the quinoa or other grain. Drain in a strainer and rinse. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and dice it into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Cook it in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes; drain well.

2. Toss together the potato, quinoa, bell pepper, and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss the salad with about half of this mixture; add all or some of the rest to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the chives and serve.