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Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Kale

Black bean quinoa salad on gray plate with fork.
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This black bean quinoa salad tastes delicious in cooler months and uses winter produce - kale, onion, and clementine. Cozy roasted sweet potatoes, punchy pickled red onion, salty feta, and a tangy cumin orange vinaigrette make this salad pop with flavor. Enjoy as a delicious meal prepped lunch or winter potluck dish!

Ingredients

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Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 red onion, quartered and sliced thinly crosswise
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vinegar

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

  • 1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons pepitas

Cumin Orange Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • Juice from 1 clementine
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1-2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven & pickle red onions. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a tea kettle or pot on the stove, boil 1/2 cup (or more) of water. Meanwhile, stuff onions into a 16-ounce (or similar sized) jar with salt and maple syrup. Pour the boiled water directly over the onions until the jar is halfway full. Fill the jar the rest of the way with vinegar (usually up to 1/2 cup), leaving some space at the top. Cover tightly and flip jar over to gently mix. Flip it back up, uncover, and set aside to let pickle.
  2. Roast sweet potatoes. Transfer sweet potato cubes to a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to move them around and get them coated with the seasonings, then spread them into an even layer. Roast at 400 for 20 minutes until golden brown (smaller cubes may need less time).
  3. Cook quinoa. As soon as sweet potatoes are in the oven, make the quinoa. Add 1 cup dry quinoa, 2 cups, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a pot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Make cumin orange vinaigrette. While quinoa and sweet potatoes cook, add olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, maple syrup, juice of clementine, salt, pepper, and cumin to jar. Cover and shake vigorously until emulsified, then set aside.
  5. Assemble salad. Place the kale in a large bowl and dump fully cooked, hot quinoa and sweet potatoes over the top to steam it, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 the jar of pickled red onions (drained), remaining ingredients, and vinaigrette. Stir to coat everything, and serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to eat!

Notes

  1. Extra onion slices. Depending on your onion size and jar size, you might have extra onion slices. Since you'll be using half of the pickled onions in the recipe, you can just set aside the extra slices and add them back into the same jar after. They'll pickle as they sit!
  2. Extra pickled reds. This recipe only calls for half the jar of pickled red onions, and you can store the rest in your fridge for a couple weeks. They make incredible condiments for sandwiches, salads, and even avocado toast!
  3. Storage. Store leftover quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge, and enjoy within 5 days.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.rootsandradishes.com/black-bean-quinoa-salad/