Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa — The Climb Toward Something Beautiful

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the inauguration on Wednesday and the country is holding its breath and I am holding mine and Marvin is sitting in his chair and the chair is holding him and we are all being held by something — by ritual, by routine, by the particular stubbornness of people who refuse to let go even when letting go would be easier. I watched the inauguration on television. A young Black woman read a poem. Amanda Gorman. "The Hill We Climb." I listened to her and I cried and I wrote down the lines I wanted to keep and I thought: this is why I teach. This is why I teach poetry. This is why I stand in front of teenagers and say, "Words matter. Words can burn and words can build. Choose carefully." Amanda Gorman chose carefully. Amanda Gorman chose magnificently. I will teach that poem. I will teach it next week. My students will read it and I will ask them: what does she mean by "the hill"? And they will think about it. And the thinking is the climb.

I made a sweet potato pie — not because sweet potato pie is a Jewish food (it is not; it is a Southern food, an African American food, a food that belongs to a tradition that is not mine but which I honor because food traditions do not have borders, they have kitchens, and any kitchen that produces something this good deserves respect). I made it because Amanda Gorman made me want to make something beautiful, and the pie is beautiful — the orange filling against the crimson plate, the fluted crust, the whipped cream on top. I made it and I ate a slice and I thought about hills and climbing and the young woman who stood at the podium and spoke for all of us, and I was grateful, which is a word I use too often and mean every time.

The pie was for that night — the ceremony, the poem, the feeling of something cracking open in a good way — but the days that followed asked for something I could carry with me, something as layered and alive as Amanda Gorman’s words. This salad is that: sweet potato roasted until it is almost caramel, kale that holds its ground, quinoa for substance, and an avocado sauce that ties it all together the way a good line of poetry does. I made it the following Sunday and brought it to school on Monday, and I ate it at my desk before fifth period and thought: yes, this is the hill, and it is worth climbing.

Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Avocado Sauce

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 large bunch curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese (optional)
• Avocado Sauce:
• 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3–4 tablespoons water, to thin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss sweet potato cubes with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25–30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized at the edges.
2. Cook the quinoa. Combine rinsed quinoa and water (or broth) in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Massage the kale. Place torn kale leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle with a small splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the leaves with your hands for 1–2 minutes until they soften and turn a deeper green.
4. Make the avocado sauce. Combine avocados, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and 3 tablespoons of water in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding an additional tablespoon of water if needed to reach a pourable consistency.
5. Assemble the salad. Add the cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and corn to the bowl with the kale. Toss gently to combine.
6. Dress and serve. Drizzle the avocado sauce generously over the salad. Scatter pepitas over the top, and add crumbled cheese if using. Serve immediately, or store components separately and assemble before eating.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 68g | Fiber: 14g | Sodium: 390mg