Vegan Fall Salad With Sweet Potatoes, Hazelnuts & Figs

Fall is in full blast over here and what a joy for the eyes! But, we couldn’t miss bringing fall on the table too, that’s where this vegan fall salad comes into play. We have spoken plenty of our love for fall and pumpkins. You have seen a fall bucket list, a lot of pie recipes, pumpkin drinks and casseroles. So you’d think we would have exhausted all ideas for this year again.

But something we always seem to miss is salads. Or anything that can be a side during lunch or dinner. Because, while we do tend to eat them, we never consider them worthy of a post. And this all needs to change. So when we were looking around on Pinterest, the girls found this amazing vegan salad with maple-roasted sweet potatoes, figs and hazelnuts from The Spoon And Whisk. And what a salad, what a nice vegan fall salad.

I was drooling only at the thought. Truth be told is that neither I nor Simona are huge fans of sweet potatoes, but believe me, we had to think of it again! The whole ensemble in this vegan fall salad makes the starchiness of the potatoes balance extremely well with the sweetness of figs and maple syrup. The rosemary gives a fresh break from the sweetness and the crunch of the hazelnuts and seeds complement the whole plate. In one word, blissful.

Is this vegan fall salad easy to make?

This vegan fall salad is so easy to make! It takes a bit longer than a usual salad, but this hearty fall meal is one you can’t pass. You will get to savour a deliciously tangy and sweet salad in under thirty minutes. And if I managed to cook it and not make a mess, you can believe it’s foolproof! Prep time is very minimal and all you have to wait is for the potatoes to roast. So the total time is 35 minutes, which sounds like a lot for a salad recipe, but it’s worth the wait! And while I mentioned how delicious it is, and how easy it is to make, did I mention how delicious it is? HA! Yes, I did but needed to make sure it is known.

Where can I find the ingredients for this vegan fall salad?

All the ingredients are easy to be found at the supermarket. And I bet some of these might even be in your veg basket already. Or in your pantry even. This vegan harvest salad has everything you can ask for during fall. Sweet potatoes and figs are both right in season and easy to be found at the shops, so they make the perfect addition to your fall meals. You will also need maple syrup, salt, pepper, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds, which can be found easily in any grocery shop. Most of these are pantry staples, so you might not even need to head to the shops. As well as olive oil, salt & pepper, balsamic vinegar and chilli powder, which are quite surely already in your pantry. So nothing in this salad is hard to come by. A win-win situation, if you asked me.

What are sweet potatoes? Are they good for you?

Sweet potatoes are the main character in this vegan fall salad. They are starchy and sweet root vegetables native to Central and South America. There are a lot of types of sweet potatoes which differ in their colour. From the most popular orange to white, purple and yellow ones. Their versatility, texture and the fact that they can be eaten with or without skin make them popular in the kitchen. And they are the main characters of a lot of soups, stews, salads and hearty meals.

Sweet potatoes may reduce the risk of cancer and support digestive health, also they may help improve blood sugar regulation. They are good for eye health and may support immune function. (BBC good food).

Sweet potatoes are rich in:

• vitamin A,
• vitamin C,
• vitamin B6,
• manganese

What are figs? Are they good for you?

Figs are fruits of the small tree Ficus Carica, native to the Mediterranean and western Asia. They have a tear shape and soft green skin that can ripen to brown and purple. Inside, there’s a soft red fleshy part with edible seeds. They are a sweet fruit that can either be eaten fresh or dried. Figs were used in the past as a natural sweetener as well seen their flavour. But the milky sap coming from the tree and fruits is irritant to the skin, so be wary of it.

They were considered fruits that came from the gods and recur a lot in mythology. Another interesting fact is that some fig plants have an intertwined relationship with fig wasps, who act as pollinators in the fruit.

Both figs and fig leaves are rich in antioxidants and vitamin K. They can: promote digestive health, may improve vascular and heart health may help manage blood sugar levels and may promote healthy skin. In the Nothern Emisphere, they are in season from August to November.

Is there anything I can substitute for this vegan fall salad?

Well, if you are not a fan of sweet potatoes, I think this could easily work as well with butternut squash. You would still get some of the starchiness of the potato and roasted it’s to die for, as well as being very versatile. If pumpkin seeds and hazelnuts are not of your choice, I strongly believe it could work with walnuts and sunflower seeds instead. Because it’s all about the options around here, am I right?

The dressing is quite simple and I think that the balsamic vinegar gives it a real kick instead of the usual apple cider vinegar or lemon in salads. Figs and maple syrup are what balance the whole of it, so it might be more difficult to substitute in this vegan fall salad. However, brussels sprouts could work well too, but they would need rebalancing for the lost sweetness. You do you, as usual, so make sure you tailor this vegan fall salad to your liking.

What does this vegan fall salad tastes like?

Fred described it as the perfect union of tang and sweetness in a plate. I honestly love the contrast of textures that accompanies all the ingredients thanks to soft and crunchy. The rosemary gives a freshness to it and balances well what could be far too sweet with maple syrup and figs. This vegan fall salad is a delicious way to celebrate the new season. Forget kale salads with tahini dressing and potato salad, fig salad is the one to try this month!

What can I pair this vegan fall salad with?

Thought you would never ask! This vegan fall salad can easily be the main character of your lunch or dinner for sure. But you could also have it with some dips, like the whipped feta dip we made last year. It would marry so well with this vegan fall salad. Also, a quick no-knead bread could work well with it and a cottage loaf or wild garlic bread in case you fancy something more.

Without further ado, let’s check out what you really came for! This delicious vegan fall salad with roasted sweet potatoes, figs and hazelnuts won’t leave you disappointed!

Vegan Fall Salad With Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Hazelnuts & Figs

Cristina

The perfect sweet and tangy vegan fall salad, a heartwarming fall meal for the whole family. Inspired by ‘The Spoon and Whisk‘ salad and Ottolenghi fig salad. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Salad

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• SWEET POTATOES & FIGS
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
• pinch of salt and pepper or to taste
• 3 figs
• VINEGAR REDUCTION
• 3 tsp maple syrup
• 1 ½ tbsp
• ROASTED HAZELNUTS & PUMPKIN SEEDS
• 30 g hazelnuts
• 15 g pumpkin seeds
• 2 tsp olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper
• ½ tsp chilly flakes

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C. 
• Wash the sweet potatoes and cut any imperfections. Cut them in half lengthways and then cut them in four wedges each. 
• Mix in a bowl the maple syrup, olive oil, salad, pepper and rosemary and then add the sweet potato wedges. Mix well so that all the wedges are covered. 
• Place them on a non-stick baking tray, skin side down and roast for around 20-25 minutes until soft. When ready, take them out and leave them to cool. 
• Prepare the vinegar reduction while the potatoes are cooking. Pour maple syrup and vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens. Remove from the heat when it’s still a bit runny as it will thicken while cooling down. If too thick later when you need to serve, add a drop of hot water and stir. 
• Toast the hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds. In a small pan heat the oil and add the nuts and seeds, sprinkle with chilly flakes, salt and pepper. They will be ready when you can hear a sizzle. 
• Wash the figs and slice them in wedges. 
• Assemble your vegan fall salad. Place the sweet potato wedges on a plate, and add the figs and the toasted nuts and seeds. Drizzle the vinegar reduction on it and get ready to serve warm or at room temperature. 

Notes

This salad is better cooked last minute or not long before being served if you want to serve it at room temperature, as when the sweet potatoes sit for too long they might get soggy. 

Keyword fig salad, vegan fall salad

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This vegan fall salad is going straight to our meal prep list because it was so easy and versatile. Maybe we will come up with some twists to it too, but for now, figs and sweet potatoes will have to do to welcome the new season!

Have you ever made a fig salad? Have you ever tried a vegan fall salad? Would you change anything from this salad recipe? Let us know in the comments!

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