I am refusing to admit that summer is over and that it is freezing cold today. Instead we are going to sit down and enjoy a summer salad with a glass of pinot gris. My husband may freeze outside for a little while in order to BBQ our salad accompaniments, but we will not give in!
I seem to have a bit of a kumara (sweet potato) theme going on at the moment. They are so versatile, filling, sweet and really pretty! Add spinach for a good dose of iron (and who doesn’t feel healthy when they eat spinach), a scrumptious orange juice dressing, and you have a super simple salad that is full of colour.

To make the salad you will need
1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
4-5 medium sized unpeeled orange kumara cut into cubes approx 1cm thick
1 small orange
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Directions
Heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius
Coat cubed kumara in olive oil and roast for 30 mins
Transfer kumara to salad bowl
Peel orange removing all the pith (I love that word !)
Cut the orange into segments and add to the bowl of kumara
Toss in the baby spinach leaves

To make the dressing

1.5 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Pour over salad just before serving.

Making Healthy Simple – one delicious kumara salad

Cheers
Ali

Question: So far we have had a kumara and lentil curry post, and now a kumara salad – do you have other kumara recipes you enjoy?

• In a large saucepan heat oil, and sauté your onion
• Add garlic, ginger, garam masala and curry powder and stir for approx one minute
• Pour in vegetable stock, and add kumara, lentils and bay leaf.
• Bring mixture to the boil and simmer for approximately 25 mins
• Add in chopped spinach and salt and pepper.
• Continue to simmer mixture again until the Kumara and lentils are cooked.
• Serve with chopped coriander on top.