Sheet Pan Salad

People ask me often, “what is your favorite kitchen tool?”  Without thinking, I can tell you it’s the sheet pan.

When I am in a kitchen you can bet I have a sheet pan in the oven.  Sheet pans can get a lot work done.  And fast.   

I love sheet pan salads.  It’s an easy way to make a salad more like a meal. Adding some cooked ingredients to your greens will make it easier on your stomach.

So, what is sheet pan salad?

Some of the ingredients of the salad are baked or roasted on a sheet pan in the oven, then tossed with fresh ingredients and then dressed as the finish.  Hey, if its just us at home making dinner, I just toss the whole thing on the sheet pan and serve it straight from there.  Why?  because who needs more things to clean?

So get ready! 

Many of my recipes will include the use of a sheet pan and you will learn to love them too.

Ingredients for the sheet pan:

• 4 cleaned Japanese sweet potatoes (skin on)
• (normal sweet potatoes will work too, just use less cause they are bigger) 
• ½ head chopped Romanesco (broccoli or cauliflower works too)
• 2 sliced shallots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Other added ingredients:

• ½ bunch of kale (Tuscan or curly), stems discarded, sliced into ½ inch ribbons
• 1 serving Sprouted Mung bean and quinoa mixture (recipe to follow below)
• ½ cup sliced radishes
• Big handful of sugar snap peas

1. Cut the sweet potato and the romanesco into bite-size pieces. Then add them to a big bowl and toss them with the shallots and olive oil till they are all coated well.

2. Distribute all sheet pan ingredients evenly on 1 or 2 sheet pans- don’t overcrowd the pan, you want space or the veggies can’t caramelize. 

3. Roast the veggies in the oven on 425 for 20-30 min or until they have a nice golden color and are tender.

4. Make dressing (recipe below)

5. Using the bowl you just used for the sheet pan ingredients toss the kale with the dressing and add the snap peas and radishes.

5. Once the sheet pan ingredients are done let them cool for 10 minutes and add them to the bowl alongside with the sprouted mung beans and quinoa mixture (recipe below as well)

For the dressing:

• 1 small diced shallot
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Agave syrup
• ½ cup olive oil

1. In a small bowl mix the shallots, thyme, rice wine vinegar and agave in a bowl and whisk and break down the thyme at the same time, so all the oils can release.
2. Now whisk in the oil slowly so the dressing can thicken.

 

Sprouted Mung Bean and Quinoa 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup sprouted dry Mung beans
• 2 cups Coconut milk
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use Himalaya salt)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1. In a medium size pot mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil uncovered. Once boiling turn to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
2. Fluff with a fork before serving.
3. Cool if you add it to one of our salad recipes. Or store in a glass container and keep in the fridge for a perfect plant based protein, fiber and “good fat” staple.

Personally, we love to serve it over some chopped greens, topped with some steamed or roasted veggies and a good spoon full of our Hummus or some hardboiled eggs. YUMMY.