I’m a big fan of salads, and during the summer, I could easily eat one for lunch every day.
However, there are days when I get bored with eating the same types of food all the time, and yearn for something a little more interesting to jazz up my plate.
Here’s where my recipe for fiesta kale salad comes in!
I use ingredients like superfood kale as the leafy base, hearty roasted sweet potatoes and black beans, and flavorful, fresh tomatoes and cilantro.
What I particularly love about this dish is the very tangy dressing, made with freshly squeezed orange juice.
If you’re having a potluck party this summer, or inviting family and friends over for a simple backyard barbecue, then this colorful dish is a must-have the next time your guests are over. They’ll absolutely love it!
It’s excellent with farmers market fresh vegetables and herbs, but all of the ingredients that you’ll need are available year-round at most grocery stores.
I strongly suggest serving it with a side of homemade guacamole and some tomato salsa, or your own fresh version of pico de gallo. Adding a fresh dip is the perfect way to round off this dish!
All set for your fiesta now? Let’s go straight to the recipe!
The Recipe
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 servings | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 35 minutes |
|
|
|
|
This fiesta kale salad is ideal for warm summer days – with sweet potatoes and a citrusy dressing, it’s refreshing, vibrant, and healthy. More on Foodal.
|
- 2 sweet potatoes cubed
- 3-4 kale leaves stems removed
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 tomato diced
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 large orange juiced
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 avocados
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tomato diced
- 1 jar tomato salsa
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
- Spread the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 35 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, finely chop the kale leaves. Add to a large bowl with the cabbage, tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Stir very well.
- Whisk together the orange juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Pour the dressing into the salad. Use your hands to massage everything together.
- Prepare the guacamole by mashing the avocados in a bowl, then mixing in the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt to taste. Fold the tomatoes into the guacamole.
- Add the roasted sweet potatoes and the black beans to the salad bowl, and stir until everything is combined.
- Serve the salad accompanied with the guacamole and salsa.
Recipe by Sarah Hagstrom.
Nutritional Information*
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Get your Mise en Place Ready
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Oil a large baking sheet and set aside.
Set out the sweet potatoes, kale, purple cabbage, tomato, green onion, cilantro, orange, and avocado. Measure out the black beans, sugar, apple cider vinegar, tomato salsa, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
Step 2 – Cube and Roast the Sweet Potatoes
Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut them into small cubes. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes until they are tender, flipping them over halfway through cooking.
Step 3 – Cut the Vegetables and Juice the Orange
As the sweet potatoes are roasting, remove the stems from the kale and core from the purple cabbage. Thinly chop both. Dice the tomatoes and chop the green onions. Tear off the cilantro leaves from the stems, and slice the orange into wedges.
Squeeze the orange wedges to get the juice.
Step 4 – Toss the Veggies with the Dressing
Mix the kale, cabbage, tomato, green onion, and cilantro in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Drizzle the dressing into the mixing bowl with the vegetables. Use your hands to gently massage the vegetables with the dressing. Set aside and let the vegetables absorb the flavors.
Step 5 – Prepare the Guacamole
Scoop out the flesh from the ripe avocado and mash it in a small bowl with a fork. Mix in the olive oil and lemon juice (lime would also work for this), and then add salt to taste. Fold in the diced tomatoes until they are evenly distributed.
You might also like this fresh guacamole recipe served inside a deviled egg!
Step 6 – Serve and Enjoy
Serve the salad along with a side of guacamole and salsa.
A Colorful and Tasty Salad to Jazz up Your Plate
Are you sick of eating the same old salads over and over again?
This bright, vibrant recipe will make you fall in love with them again!
You’ll enjoy the leafy greens for their nutritional value, and the roasted sweet potatoes and black beans for their heartiness. Finished with a tangy dressing and accompanied by guacamole and tomato salsa, this is going to be a new favorite!
And if you can’t get enough of your favorite cruciferous veggie, try it in other recipes:
What are your favorite ways to spruce up your plate of veggies? Let us know by commenting below!
Don’t forget to Pin It!
Photos by Felicia Lim, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published January 30, 2015 by Sarah Hagstrom. Revised and updated July 13th, 2017 by Felicia Lim.
*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Felicia Lim
Felicia Lim is a Singaporean who moved to Argentina for love. Based in Buenos Aires, also known as “the Paris of South America,” she fills her days with freelance writing, recipe development, and food photography – three passions that give her endless joy. When she isn’t typing away at her computer, cooking in the kitchen, or shooting in her balcony-studio, you can probably find her curled up on the couch, lost in the pages of a good book.
The inclusion of black beans and sweet potatoes makes this dish seem like it would be really filling. I’m always on the lookout for new salad and veggie ideas. It also appears to be low in fat and I suppose you could omit the guacamole if you wanted to reduce the fat contenet of this dish even further.
Alright, i ‘m already smacking my lips here…it sure sounds delicious, although i rarely eat kale, can one alternate kale for spinach with this recipe …or its a strict recipe?
I’ve always wanted to incorporate more kale into my diet, but I just can’t get past the bitter taste. The addition of beans and sweet potato sounds like it could cut the bitterness a bit. Kale is such a super food that I definitely want to eat more of it and reap all of its benefits.
Spinch in place of kale would give the salad a different texture.
This looks so good, I will be cooking for a week trying to get to all of these great ideas.
The inclusion of the sweet potatoes turns this salad-style dish into something far more substantial. It looks like a really tasty dish, thanks for the suggestion.
After my runs, I usually devour a store-bought salad, and I feel like I could easily make one better. I will have to try this recipe out, because it uses a variety of ingredients I usually eat by themselves (ex: oranges). Looks delicious though!
It’s insanity to me that kale has become so popular & because of that has increased pretty dramatically in price in my area. I love when people embrace things like kale or ox tails that are cheap but the negative side of that is that it always seems to affect price in a negative way. It’s always available not, sure. However, more expensively.
This recipe caught my eye with the vibrant orange from the sweet potato. I am always worried that a salad will not be filling but I don’t think that would be the case with something like this. I am really intrigued by the dressing most of all. Apple cider vinegar is my favorite and it brightens up any dish. The thought of adding orange juice with it is making my mouth water. Thanks for the inspiration.
This is a lovely salad Sarah! I am looking to add more salads to my diet, and I just picked some kale greens from a nearby garden! There are so many dimensions to this recipe, that I know I won’t get board. I love all the ingredients. The kale, sweet potatoes and beans give such a wide range of nutrients, so it will probably not only be tasty, but satisfying and filling as well. Thanks!
I have heard of Kael many tea before but I was always scare to try it. Honestly, I imagined it would have as much flavor is a piece of grass. I’m always looking for alternatives that we good enough for the husband and kids to it. This salad looks really good. This just have have to be included in my menu soon. Thank you!
So there’s this thing that I do every week. Once a week, I choose a salad among other recipes and try to stick to it the whole week. Then, I kind of rate it and put it on a list. The next week is time for the Fiesta Kale Salad, recipe looks great and I just love guacamole! Thank you for the well written article!
I just recently started eating Kale and I really enjoy it but this recipe looks amazing! I have noticed Kale is becoming a very popular food but I haven’t found to many recipes that I have enjoyed. I cant wait to try this one out!
I am really into kale lately – I’ve even started growing a couple of varieties, so I’m definitely on the lookout for more ways to incorporate it into my diet. Your recipe is really interesting – the beans, potatoes, and purple cabbage make the dish really rounded and bursting with flavour and goodness.
Thank you so much for sharing this – any more kale recipes will be hugely appreciated.
I’m thinking of growing my own kale, so I’m going on a recipe-saving binge, haha. This one looks particularly delicious. Not to mention I could use more sweet potatoes in my diet, so that’s a nice bonus. Can’t wait to try it out!
I use a lot of sweet potatoes, so I always have them on hand. I’ve been wanting to try out a kale recipe, and this might be the one. I love purple cabbage, and although I can’t handle black beans, chickpeas or black eyed peas might be a good substitute. I like the inclusion of the orange and cilantro, also.
This actually sounds good! I have been turned off of kale because the only time that I tried it , it was very bitter. I am really glad this article mentions using apple cider vinegar to take some of the edge off of the bitterness. I am also curious if anyone here has tried to make kale chips? I have a toddler and I want her to eat more nutrient packed veggies, I think she might go for it, if the kale was in more of a finger food form.
This is such a great idea! I agree, I love kale for all the nutrients it packs in. If I’m going to have veggies, I want the best nutritionally! I make kale quite often, so this will be a great recipe to try out!
The power house of nutrients in kale is great. A lot of people I see cannot see past it’s dull, unpleasant taste. But what I advise is to make it with another favorite vegetable. For example, I mix it with spring onions, red onions, spinach, garlic and carrots, all cut in thin long strips in a beautiful stir-fry, accompany that with stripped chicken and pitta or naan bread, you will not only have a very nutritious meal but also a recipe to impress your guests with.
I had something like this at an airport restaurant at LAX, but I never found a good recipe for it. I like the addition of sweet potatoes, because they go so well with kale, whether it’s raw or cooked, and they are such a nutrient powerhouse. The addition of the black beans adds some extra vegetarian protein to the mix. I like the addition of orange and sugar to take a little of the edge of the bitterness off. I think, with a bit of tweaking, maybe substituting the black beans for minced tofu, changing the orange for lemon, and changing out the salsa and guacamole for a peanut dressing, you could also get a nice Thai-style salad out of this as well.