Fast Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad Recipe

Fast and Easy Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad? Sounds great!

My husband saw a recipe on the internet and he asked me to make for him. It had a 5 minute video on how to make it, so I would have visual aids. According to him, I could make this recipe in about 10 minutes.

It was from the New York Times chef, Mark Bittman, the Minimalist. The recipe contained sweet potatoes, black beans, bell peppers, and olive oil. It was bound to be a healthy-diet-mom favorite.

Next time I’ll have my darling husband read the fine print.

Here's the original recipe, my attempt at following it, and my easier version of this delicious recipe.

The Original Recipe from Mark Bittman

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans and Chili Dressing

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, preferably red, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeño
1 clove garlic, peeled
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.
2. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.
3. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Yield: 4 servings.

What Really Happened to the Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad Recipe

Step One: Cut and peel the sweet potatoes into one inch chunks. I bought the suggested four sweet potatoes, and realized I must have purchased organic sweet potatoes on steroids. Two would be sufficient. (The rest went to sweet potato oven fries for the kids). The recipe said to roast the sweet potatoes and onions. Too bad I forgot to roast the onions.

Forty minutes later, I had beautifully roasted sweet potatoes, and sweet potato peels, all over the kitchen.

Step Two: The dressing with the pepper and lime juice was fabulous, but 6 tablespoons olive oil? 3 tablespoons was plenty. Four lime rinds were now perched on top of the potato peels, on the kitchen counter. Somehow “clean as I go” wasn’t working.

Cilantro attacks floor and counter, finding comfort on top of the sweet potato peels.

Caught in the Act

One hour and twenty minutes later, the sweet potato black bean salad is finished. Looks mushy and messy. Tastes great. Really delicious. Love that sweet potato black bean salad.

Husband comes home to a clean kitchen and tired wife. Proclaims sweet potato black bean salad best ever, and asks for it again the next night. Because it only took 10 minutes to make.

Here’s the healthy-diet-mom version of the recipe, which might take closer to 15 minutes. I agree with Mark Bittman that roasting the sweet potatoes and onions is much better than boiling them. If I only had the time… I’d be outside playing with my kids!

Below the healthy-diet-mom.com version of this recipe is the original recipe from the Minimalist with a link to the video.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad with Chili Dressing

2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes, chopped in 1 inch pieces. Do not peel.
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno chili, cut in half and seeded
1 tsp minced garlic from the jar or 1 clove garlic, peeled
2 limes, juiced
1 can black beans
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
1. Wash sweet potatoes. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Do not peel. Put potatoes in microwave save dish, mix with 2 teaspoons olive oil, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Potatoes will continue to cook outside of microwave.
2. Put onions in microwave safe dish with cover. Mix with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Do NOT add water. Microwave for two minutes.
3. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.
4. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Yield: 4 servings.

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