This fulfilling salad with baked potatoes and creamy avocado sauce is ideal to address your needs. The idea behind this salad is to eat something tasty and energizing for the rest of the day. It will make a perfect lunch even if you go later to the gym that day. This recipe is part of my absolutely thrilling collaboration with Ruw Gym (the gym at the Royal University of Women) and Marketplace by Livewell (our famous organic shops in Bahrain).
If I have to describe this rich salad I would tell you that it has a caramelized little extra which I totally love, it is crunchy and it has a creamy twist with a sweet hint.
So what on earth is making this salad so interesting? I have mixed some warm roasted purple potatoes and onions (the roasting draws the flavor out), some toasted mixed seeds balls (with date pieces and ricotta), some raw figs, bell pepper and radish slices, some baby kale leaves that are very tender and a so-smooth avocado sauce.
I would say that this fulfilling salad is more powerful than you may think.
What makes it a powerful salad?
The purple potatoes add a deep purple color to this salad while bringing a lot of healthy benefits. I roast them with coconut oil from Marketplace (a fair trade coconut oil from Rapunzel). Yes, I eat them with the skin to bring a maximum of nutrients to this salad and when it is well roasted the skin is so crispy. It’s simply delicious. Purple potatoes are well known for their potassium and minerals. They have some protein too (4g for a medium size potato). They are much better than white potatoes thanks to their low glycemic index. Their purple-rich color is a sign that they are high in antioxydants (the one that protect your cells from oxidative stress).
In this salad recipe, I have added few ricotta balls rolled in seeds. The mixed seeds are another way to make this salad so rich in taste. Mixed seeds are one of the most nutrient-dense food. Also, they are protein rich. Actually you don’t need to eat that many to get the benefits out of it. And the vegan ricotta that I use here is made out of almonds and packed with protein too.
In this lovely salad, the raw vegetables and fruit (fresh figs that are now in season in Bahrain) bring you more energy.
Finally, the avocado sauce contains one full ripe avocado. It is high in fiber and high in healthy fat too which is excellent news.
This power salad with baked purple potatoes and creamy avocado dressing is so satisfying.
About the mixed seeds ricotta balls
To make these incredible mixed seeds balls I have used my creamy vegan ricotta and some mixed seeds that I use to buy at the beautiful Marketplace by Livewell.
You can easily swap your vegan ricotta for a creamy goat cheese or a classic ricotta if this is part of your lifestyle.
I like to toast the seeds in a pan for few minutes until they pop. Then I pour them into a soup plate. To enhance the taste, I add some small pieces of date (half date cut into small pieces is enough). I mix the date pieces with the seeds. Then I take a teaspoon of ricotta (or goat cheese) and roll/dip them into the mixed seeds. I create a kind of ball (not really round though) full of ricotta on the inside with a layer of toasted seeds on the outside.
I will add these tasty balls to my fulfilling salad at the very end.
The creamy touch in this healthy salad comes obviously from its ricotta balls and its delicious healthy dressing.
Can I prepare my salad in advance?
You could roast your purple potatoes and onions in advance, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and warm them up whenever you prepare the salad. And the dressing sauce can stay for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
On the other side, roasting the vegetables is an easy task. It is a matter of cutting them, adding some coconut oil, herbs and letting them roast in the oven for 35 minutes (approximately). Meanwhile you are able to do something else or prepare the rest of the salad.
More salad options ?
Being plant-based pushes me to create colorful and appealing salads with different tasty elements. But be aware that being plant-based is not a way to reduce your life to salads. It is actually a new way to cook and see many new opportunities!
You should definitely give these few bowls a try (they are amongst my favorite) : my rainbow vegan salad so interesting in term of taste, my fresh watermelon salad which is a classic for my late summer dinners in France, if you are looking for an asian touch try this asian cucumber ginger salad.
Even if you are reluctant to salads, be aware that my salads category might change that !
Healthy fulfilling salad with baked purple potatoes and creamy avocado sauce and …
Crunchy, flavorful and rich !
If you make it
If you make the fulfilling salad with baked puple potatoes and creamy avocado sauce, tag me on Instagram as @live.and.taste and use #liveandtaste hashtag.
Feel free to ask me any question or leave me a comment (reply) below the recipe, I will be thrilled to reply to you.
Healthy greetings from Laetitia
FULFILLING SALAD WITH BAKED PURPLE POTATOES AND CREAMY AVOCADO SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
SALAD
- 2 small onions, cut into 8 wedges
- 3-4 small purple potatoes, cut into pieces
- Few fresh thyme branches
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 radishes, sliced
- ¼ bell pepper, cut into medium pieces
- 2 figs, sliced
- 1 ½ cups baby kale leaves
MIXED SEEDS RICOTTA BALLS
- 2-3 tbsp mixed nuts, roasted
- ½ date, cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup vegan ricotta - (or goat cheese) to make 4 -6 balls approx.
AVOCADO SAUCE
- 1 ripe avocado
- ¼ roasted onion - (from the oven tray)
- ½ cup coconut yoghurt or soya yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Gomasio and fresh ground pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
SALAD
- Preheat the oven to 200 C (fan).
- Remove the roots and the loose skin of the onions. Cut them into eighths. Cut the small potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place the onions and potato pieces into a baking dish. Drizzle with coconut oil and add some fresh thyme branches. Add Gomasio or Himalyan salt and pepper.
- Reduce the oven to 175 C (fan) and cook them for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile wash the figs, radishes, bell pepper and salad leaves. Slice the figs, radishes and cut 1/4 of the bell pepper into medium pieces. Dry the salad leaves with kitchen (or paper) towel. Set aside.
MIXED SEEDS RICOTTA BALLS
- Roast the mixed seeds for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into a soup plate and add ½ date cut into small pieces. Mix together. Add fresh ground pepper.
- Using a fork, crumble the vegan ricotta or the goat cheese in another small bowl. Scoop some ricotta with a small spoon and using your hands roll this amount of ricotta into the mixed seeds bowl. Repeat until you finish the ricotta. Set aside.
AVOCADO SAUCE
- Once the vegetables are roasted, remove 2 onion pieces to make the avocado sauce.
- Add the 2 roasted onions pieces, avocado, garlic, coconut yoghurt, salt and pepper to your small blender. Blend until you reach a smooth and creamy sauce.
- Arrange the salad starting with the green leaves, add the roasted vegetables, radish, figs and bell pepper and finally add the little ricotta balls. Sprinkle the rest of the mixed seeds over the salad.
- Add 1 to 2 big dollops of the avocado sauce, mix and enjoy straight away.
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