We’ve been eating some variation of this salad lately, and I think it’s so delicious, I couldn’t wait to share it with you! We’re growing spinach in our garden again this year, so I think the next month or so (before it gets too hot) we’ll be eating plenty of it. With this salad in particular, there’s a wonderful citrusy brightness that accompanies the curry, the crunch of pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and toasted coconut… it’s so unexpected! And while I used a few already-prepared foods (the salad dressing and the pepitas with coconut), all of the ingredients are very basic and nutritious.
Baby Spinach Salad with Clementines and Curry Dressing
- About 4 cups baby spinach (or spinach/arugula blend)
- 2 clementines, peeled, segmented, and segments cut in half
- 1 sweet potato, cut into small cubes
- Pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)
- Toasted coconut
- Salad Girl Curry & Fig Salad Dressing* (sold at Whole Foods)
*If you cannot find this salad dressing, I encourage you to try to create it yourself! I’ve had good luck recreating dressings when I know the ingredients. Heck, yours might turn out even better! The ingredients for the curry & fig dressing: safflower oil, rice vinegar, figs, orange juice, mustard, honey, and spices (I’m guessing if you use curry powder and onion powder, you’ll have it covered!).
This is the brand of pepitas & coconut we used. A little bit goes a long way — plus, it’s a wonderful snack on its own!
Preheat oven to 400. Toss sweet potato cubes with 2 Tbsp melted butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar, then roast in an ovenproof pan for 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and starting to lightly brown on the outside (stir once halfway through to promote even cooking). Set aside to cool.
Assemble salad: to the spinach leaves, add the mandarin oranges, then the cooled sweet potatoes. Dress with the salad dressing (I only add 2 Tbsp or less for the whole salad, you can always add more, but you can’t take it off if you put too much on!). Top with the crunchy pepitas and coconut, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Also, we’ve had this salad without the sweet potatoes and with more clementines and it is just as good. Have a wonderful weekend!
I wish the men in my house liked salad. It is such a bummer to not have healthy, adventurous eaters. I blame England.
Have you ever looked at Ottolenghi’s cookbooks? The salads – particularly in Plenty More – are inspired. Visually beautiful and incredibly tasty. The citrus in your salad made me think of one I made with preserved lemons, and another one with grapefruit segments. And tossing a few pomegranate seeds into this would be delicious and extra colorful. If you get overrun with spring greens, I’m more than happy to take some off your hands! 😉
Here’s a photo of the salad with lemons: http://www.thirdstoryies.com/2015/05/04/lets-eat-on-the-menu-18/
wow this sounds delicious, the play of sweet and spicy is very appealing to me. I tried to make the chia pudding with coconut milk but it came out very lumpy even after stirring it for a while prior to refrigeration–however, I made a second batch with almond milk and it was so tasty. I love these recipe posts! 🙂
Oh, I’m sorry the pudding did not work out for you, Kay! That happened to me once, and it was when I used a different kind of coconut milk. I think if you use the canned regular coconut milk (not lite), it should work for you. I hope you try it again! It is really good when it turns out! Also, the almond milk is a fantastic idea. I’ll definitely try that.
Wow, Kristin, that salad you made looks amazing! I’ve only recently tried preserved lemons. They really add something to a dish. Thanks for sharing!