I am a sucker for hot and cold food bars at natural food stores. Mana Foods, Down to Earth, Alive + Well, Whole Foods – I don’t discriminate; I love ‘em all. I love trying new recipes, yes, but the thing I love most about hot/cold food bars is the ingredient lists.
You may be aware that the prices at the food bars are pretty steep – plus I love a good challenge in the kitchen – which is why I love it when stores list the ingredients of their prepared food. It allows me to recreate my favorite new recipes at home for a portion of the price at home!
Sure, I may not know the quantities of the ingredients [or in this case – which ingredients are more prevalent], but I get to taste-test along the way. And the nicest thing about recreating recipes at home? I get to tweak the amounts to suit our personal preferences.
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Ben and I have been obsessed with Mana’s dijon sweet potato salad for a few months now [he may or may not stop by every Wednesday on his way home from the Chiropractor to see if it’s there]. The perfect mixture of sweet, savory, and tangy is absolutely addicting and we love that the salad is lighter than the “typical” mayo-based variety.
When we hosted a dinner at our home to welcome visiting family, I figured it was the perfect excuse to try out a new recipe. My first try needed a little tweaking – the sweet potatoes soak up lots of sauce – but I’m now very pleased with the end result. 
We’ll definitely be making this salad around our home more often!
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Dijon Sweet Potato Salad
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[ingredients]
- 5 medium sweet potatoes [I used Moloka`i sweets]
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 celery – finely chopped
- 1/4 c green onions – finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1’’ ginger root – grated
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- salt + pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425.
Chop your sweet potatoes into your desired size [I like mine to be about 1/2’’ cubes], then toss them in 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, salt + pepper and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and fork-tender.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, whisk together all the wet ingredients in a large bowl [including the remaining 3 Tbsp of olive oil]. Place these in the fridge until your potatoes are ready.
Allow the sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature before mixing it all together.
Season with salt + pepper, and
Enjoy! This salad gets better after a few hours, or even overnight, so I recommend making it ahead of time.
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Are you a fan of hot and cold food bars? What’s your favorite “recreation” recipe?
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Aloha Pumehana. Whether you’re here to find balance, wholesome recipes or inspiration, I hope you enjoy the posts. Please subscribe to Green Plate Dinners to receive automatic updates and be the first to read new posts for free!
