Tuesday 6 March 2018

A sweet potato salad... and good vibes

Recipe of the week...
... Sweet Potato Tex Mex Salad


Ingredients: 600g sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, 400g can black beans, 198g can sweetcorn, 2 avocados, 250g tomatoes, 1 small red onion, a handful of coriander, 1 lime, salt and pepper

Serves: 2 big platefuls of salad (or 2 sensible platefuls, and a packed lunch for tomorrow)

Time taken: 45 mins max


Hi readers,

How are you all today? Are you doing okay?? As I write, it’s a rainy Tuesday afternoon in Sheffield. The snow’s melted away and I guess it’s quite mild out. We’re all back to work, after last week’s snow drama, and the Winter Olympics have finished now. And it’s March!

@n_buckland
I wouldn’t exactly say Spring’s sprung, readers, but things are looking up. The evenings seem to be a little lighter and the thought of running outdoors, with only a couple of layers of clothes on, isn’t filling me with dread so much anymore. Watch this space.

And I have some lovely rainbow tulips in a vase in my room – to brighten things up! And I’m cheerful, I’m having a fab time dating a boy, I’ve been having fun with the gals lately… some knitting, some wine drinking, and an afternoon tea. Things are sweet.

How are things with you, readers? Have you been enjoying life lately? And living it??

@vogueeissues
I say – get out there and feel alive! Go for it, readers. TODAY. Over the last month I’ve had a family member diagnosed with prostate cancer. Just as Stephen Fry announced he’s also being treated for prostate cancer. And now Bill Turnbull has prostate cancer, too!

It’s a scary world we live in, readers, and I might not be able to get prostate cancer, but it has made me think – life is fleeting. None of know how many days we have left. So, get out there. Go for it. Don’t hesitate – what could you squeeze out of life today, tomorrow, by the end of the month? Think BIG. And then BIGGERRR.

And eat good food. I say it in almost every blog post I write, readers, and it’s STILL important so I’m STILL saying it. Treat your body as though you love it – with kindness and nutrition. And love it, too.

@thickleeyonce

This week’s recipe of the week, readers, is a vegan one I found on BBC Good Food (you can view the original here), for a Sweet Potato Tex Mex Salad. According to the beeb…

“This hearty vegan salad is 4 of your 5-a-day, rich in folate, fibre and vitamin C, plus it has lots of interesting flavours and textures”

I chose this recipe as I’m on the prowl for dishes to cook which are vegan (as the boy I’m dating is of a vegan kind), but which aren’t spicy and don’t take hours to cook. This recipe seemed to fit the bill and I haven’t cooked with sweet potato or black beans in ages, so I thought I’d give it a go! And you can too – here’s the recipe in just five simple steps…

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Recipe: Sweet Potato Tex Mex Salad


Ingredients: 600g sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, 400g can black beans, 198g can sweetcorn, 2 avocados, 250g tomatoes, 1 small red onion, a handful of coriander, 1 lime, salt and pepper

Method:

1.     Heat the oven to 200C and get all your ingredients out on the side. Pour a drink, play your favourite song, put your phone away for a while.

2.     First, begin by prepping your potato. Use a large knife to cut into even chunks, tip out onto a baking tray, and toss about in a tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle your potato chunks with chilli flakes, sea salt and pepper. Carefully transport into the oven to roast for half an hour until tender.


3.     While you’re waiting, you can prep your remaining salad ingredients. Start off by draining and rinsing your tinned sweetcorn and black beans. Then thinly slice your onion, roughly chop your coriander, and cut your avocados and tomatoes up into  chunks.


ChefBeHere Top Tip: Squeeze the avocado with the juice of your lime now, to keep it green and stop it from browning before you serve up the salad

4.     Once the sweet potato is nearly ready, combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a tablespoon of oil and season well. Mix everything together well – but take care not to squash the avocado.

5.     Safely remove your sweet potato from the oven and switch this off. Divide the salad evenly between plates, or serve sharing-style, with your roasted sweet potato chunks topping it off. Tuck in!


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What do you think, readers? Could this be the salad for you?? Would you consider a vegan salad? I hope my photos and the really easy-to-follow steps are encouraging you to give this recipe a try, readers!

I promise you – if you do – a tasty tea. Not too healthy, as you might expect a cheese-less, bread-less, fish-less salad to be. Not at all! I say this salad tastes fab, readers. It’s a colourful, flavoursome, filling plateful of food. Good for your insides and a treat to eat, too! You might feel really good for having eaten it the next day, and we all deserve to feel good and have a great day. Don't we?

@historyphotographed
Anyone taking this recipe on – please let me know how things go in the kitchen! Are the steps straightforward to follow? Did you enjoy the food? Would you do anything differently? Shout out!

I’ll leave off with my vegan salad propaganda now, readers, but don’t write this recipe off. Do eat well, live your week to the full, and I’ll be in touch with a fresh recipe soon.

Salad safely amigos,

Hayley





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