Roasted Sweet Potato & Spinach Salad and Avocado Blueberry Smoothie for Meatless Monday

How sweet it is to enjoy Sweet Potato! I love this delicious root veggie! Not only because its full of sweetness, but it packs quite the nutritional punch! Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, potassium and beta carotene; an antioxidant superhero! To truly get the health benefits of beta carotene, its best to eat a little fat; healthy fat of course, with sweet potatoes. That’s why my simple salad recipe below contains a healthy dose of olive oil. Deelish!! Hope you enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato & Spinach Salad

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
1 large red pepper, cut into 1″ pieces
1/2 cup pecans
1 pound spinach
1-2 cups arugula

Dressing:
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
dried oregano, add according to preference

Directions:
Combine ingredients for dressing in a small cup. Mix well and let sit to infuse oil with garlic. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large roasting pan, combine the oil, salt, and black pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and bell peppers and toss to coat well. Roast, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Place the spinach, arugula and pecans in a large serving bowl. Add potatoe mixture and toss. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Avocado Blueberry Smoothie
Aside from a healthy dose of fat, avocado gives the perfect creaminess to this smoothie!