Thanksgiving: Roasted grape and sweet potato salad

I love Thanksgiving because it’s all about my top three faves: Gratitude, family and of course, food! The gift is being present with your loved ones. The food can be healthy and vibrant. And, you can bliss out enjoying your company while practicing moderation in the food and beverage department. Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for and celebrating the abundance of the harvest before we hunker down for the winter so, I wanted to create a salad that was worthy of a Thanksgiving table, it had to be healthy of course, enter the base of dark leafy greenies and I wanted to incorporate something a little unique, hello roasted grapes! This salad will stand proud next to your turkey but it is also a hearty fall salad that can be enjoyed on it’s own any time of year.

Roasted Grape and Sweet Potato Salad
(vegan and gluten-free)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 cups kale, torn
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 cups sweet potato, diced
2 cups grapes
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash, dry and tear kale into bitesize pieces place in a serving bowl and set aside. Brush one tablespoon of EVOO on a glass baking dish. Dice sweet potato and place in the baking dish. Brush the cubes with 1/2 tablespoon EVOO sprinkle approximately 1/2 of the salt and 1/2 of the pepper. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Toss the sweet potatoes and add the grapes. Brush grapes with the rest of the EVOO, add thyme and the remainder of the salt and pepper and roast all for 10 minutes. Slice onion, chop walnuts and set aside. Combine the EVOO, lime juice, coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg to make the dressing in a cup. When the sweet potatoes and grapes are soft, remove the baking dish from the oven. Pull leaves from the thyme add them to the dressing. Serve warm tossed with the kale, onion, walnuts and dressing.