Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette

Sunday was the first day of spring. I'm looking out my window right now, and it still looks like winter.  We are scheduled to play a baseball game in a few hours, and the snow is beginning to fall, again. I guess we'll be content with easing into spring, while living with winter!  Back to the salad- what should I name this?  Winter Salad?  Sprinter Salad?  OK, I'll stop.

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette.  Loved the colors and combo of fruit, potatoes, creamy avocado and crunchy sweet nuts.  

Sweet Potato Salad with Spiced Brown Sugar Vinaigrette
A Bountiful Kitchen
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Dressing:
1/2 cup oil, vegetable or canola
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup brown sugar

Candied pecans:
1 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup sugar

Salad:
12 cups lettuce, or a mixture of lettuce and spinach, washed and chopped
2 sweet potatoes or yams, cooked, peeled, cubed( about 2 cups) and cooled
1 large or 2 small avocados, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup cooked, chopped beets, optional


1. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jar, set aside.

2. Place the pecans and about 2 tablespoons of sugar in a non stick/Teflon pan over medium high heat until the sugar begins to melt, stirring constantly. Add remaining sugar and continue to cook until sugar is melted and coats the pecans. Remove from heat and pour onto a sheet of parchment paper or a greased sheet of foil. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired. Let cool.

3. Place the chopped greens in a large serving bowl. Place rest of salad ingredients on top of lettuce.

4. Toss the salad with about half of the dressing.  Top with sugared pecans and toss again, adding more dressing if desired.  Serve immediately.

Tips:
-When cooking sweet potatoes, boil or bake with skin on for optimal nutritional value. Don't overcook. Sweet potatoes should be tender, but not overly soft.
-If not serving salad immediately, wait to add avocados until just before serving.

I love sweet potatoes. Did you know sweet potatoes have numerous health benefits including:  

Four times the RDA for beta-carotene, which your body can convert to vitamin A  42% of the RDA for vitamin C and if you eat the skin, more fiber than oatmeal. Other sweet potato health benefits include having the lowest glycemic index among root veggies because it digests very slowly, which helps you feel full longer. Calories? About 130 for a medium sized potato.

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