Black Bean and Sweet Potato Warm Salad (V, Ve, GF, DF)

This is a super sexy salad; loads of textures and flavour and really quick and easy. This recipe makes enough for 2 big portions or 3 if you're not as greedy ;)

1tbsp     Olive oil 

1/2 tsp   Paprika

Medium sized Sweet Potato

2 Carrots

1/2 Bell pepper

10 Cherry tomatoes

230g (can or carton) Cooked Black beans

1 Avocado

Handful fresh Coriander (Cilantro)

Handful Pumpkin seeds

1/2 tsp  Chilli powder

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Peel and chop the sweet potato into roughly 1/2cm sq cubes.  Put on a baking tray with the olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper (to taste) and bake for roughly 15mins until tender and golden.

Peel and grate or julienne the carrots, chop the tomatoes into quarters, chop the pepper into small pieces, de-stone and chop the avocado into small pieces.  Drain and wash the cooked beans. Chop the coriander finely.  Add everything to a bowl with salt and pepper to taste.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a tiny bit of oil and the chilli powder in a hot frying pan.  They'll turn golden and pop when they're ready.  Just a couple minutes at most.

Once the sweet potato is ready add that to the bowl with the seeds and toss together. Ready!

You can add the juice of half a lime to make it more zingy or some finely chopped chilli for more heat.  Either way, this is a great salad to eat warm or cold, as a side dish or to take as a packed lunch.