Persian Inspired Salad with Sweet Potato and Spinach

Persian Inspired Salad

A friend introduced me to an amazing Persian cookbook titled "Food for Life" by  Najmieh Batmanglij.  After glancing through the recipes and delicious looking pictures, I started craving flavors such as spearmint, rose water, dates, raisins, pistachios, saffron, and turmeric.  Combining a myriad of these flavors can give any dish an exotic twist.

After being influenced by Najmieh Batmanglij's recipes, I created my own Persian inspired salad.

Ingredients for Persian Inspired Salad with Sweet Potato and Spinach:

2 cups spinach

1 sweet potato, sliced
1 cup garbanzo beans

1/4 cup dill

1/4 cup parsley

3 tablespoons spearmint,

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 tablespoon butter or ghee

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic stems, chopped

1 tablespoon rose water
1tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

1 pinch of saffron

Salt to taste

Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Yogurt

Pine Nuts

Directions:


1.  Microwave sweet potato until soft.  Run cold water over potato, while peeling skin off.  Set aside.
2.  In a skillet, brown the onions and garlic in butter or ghee.  Then add sweet potato, garbanzo beans, rose water, hot pepper flakes, turmeric, saffron and salt.  
3.  Let mixture cool then add dill, spearmint, parsley, garlic stems and spinach.
5.  Dress with some lemon juice and olive oil.

5.  Garnish with a dollup of yogurt and pine nuts.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt

This simple recipe can be served as a healthy appetizer or meal.  It includes sweet (sweet potato), spicy (chipotle peppers) and cool (Greek yogurt) flavors that make a perfect taste combination.   I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients for Baked Potato Fries:

Sweet Potatoes, cut lengthwise

Oil, to coat

Smoked chipotle peppers, dried and ground

Sea Salt

Ingredients for topping:

Plain Greek yogurt

Roasted pepitas "sunflower seeds"

Directions:

Wash and slice sweet potato length wise.

Coat with oil.

Sprinkle on the sea salt and ground chipotle peppers.

On a baking sheet, roast sliced potatoes with skin at 400 degrees.

Turn slices around ever 5 minutes or so until browned on all sides.

Garnish with yogurt and pepitas "sunflower seeds."