Southwestern Black Bean Salad with Sweet Potato Wedges

Happy New Year, friends! I have to say that I love when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. I mean, I'm all for resolutions and new beginnings and all that. But to go from chugging a bottle of champagne (I admit nothing) to presenting yourself at the gym the next morning on a bowl of high fiber, whole grain cereal, is a little daunting. By which I mean, it ain't happening. So this way, we kind of get a bridge day to get it together.

So here we are on what I consider the first official day of the new year and I'm serving a sort of traditional new year's recipe, kind of. I'll bet this is the strangest looking dish of hoppin' john you've ever seen but I can explain. Growing up in the north east, I'd never really heard of hoppin' john until the interweb told me all about. So, it's black eyed peas, bacon and rice to bring good luck in the new year. OK, sounds tasty but maybe not quite as healthy as I'd hoped.

I did a bit of research and it seems that any bean dish is considered good luck. And since my entire December diet might have consisted of latkes, eggnog and cookies (I admit nothing), I thought it wise to introduce a vegetable and some fiber into the mix. And just to give it some extra fun as well as nutrition, crispy wedges of sweet potato. This is a healthy new year eating plan I can get behind. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

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Southwestern Black Bean Salad with Sweet Potato Wedges

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Recipe for a bean salad with tomatoes, corn, avocado and roasted sweet potato wedges.

Ingredients

• 2 Sweet potatoes
• 1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Bean Salad:

• 1 Can (approx. 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Cup corn kernels (frozen is OK)
• 1 Pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Avocado, diced
• 1/4 Red onion, peeled and diced
• 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

For the Dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Teaspoons mustard (you can substitute mayonnaise)
• 1 Clove garlic, peeled
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rinse the sweet potatoes but no need to peel them. Cut in half and then cut each half into quarters. You'll end up with 8 wedges per potato. Toss with the olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are light golden brown.
3. Place the corn kernels on another baking sheet and roast in the same oven for about 15 minutes or until they're lightly colored.
4. Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice and mustard. You can mince the garlic but I prefer to grate it into the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. To assemble the salad, toss the beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, onion and cilantro with the dressing and serve with the sweet potato wedges.

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