This lively salad is bursting with wonderful, good-for-you flavourful foods!

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 400g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1tsp cumin seeds
• 125g red or white quinoa
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped
• 2 cooked beetroot (not in vinegar), chopped
• 2 Spanish Persimons®, chopped

Dressing:

• 3tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp cider vinegar
• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Croutons:

• 50g butter
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/Gas Mark 6. Put the sweet potato chunks and red onion into a roasting tin and toss with 2tbsp olive oil. Season, sprinkle with the cumin seeds and roast for 20 minutes, until tender.
2. Meanwhile, simmer the quinoa with a pinch of salt in double the volume of water for 15-20 minutes for red quinoa and 8-10 minutes for white. Turn off the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
3. In a large serving bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and a little salt and pepper. Add the quinoa and tip in the sweet potatoes and onion. Gently mix in the avocado, beetroot and Persimons®.
4. For the croutons, melt the butter in a frying pan and gently fry the bread on both sides until crisp and golden. Use a star-shaped cutter to cut into shapes, or simply slice into cubes. Serve, sprinkled on the salad.

Cook’s tip: You could use butternut squash instead of sweet potato.