Food, Pork, Recipes, Vegetables

Warm Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad

This salad was the result of a combined effort by John and myself.  It might sound silly but since John and I started eating paleo together and as often as we can, cooking together, we have added another dimension to our relationship that we did not even know existed.  There’s something really cool about creating food as a couple and although most of my time in the kitchen is spent with the kids, I look forward to the moments that I spend with my husband even more.  I keep him from burning stuff and he keeps me creative; like with this salad, John pulled various things that we had on hand out of the fridge and started cooking while I ran behind making sure it all tasted good (and putting out any potential fires).  John grilled a steak to have with the salad but next time I make this recipe I’ll probably add chicken to the salad to make it a meal all on it’s own.

Here’s the recipe!

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Warm Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad

3 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 apple diced

8 strips of bacon, diced

2 leeks, thinly sliced

6 oz of fresh baby spinach

Handful of sliced almonds for garnish

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp spicy brown mustard (from Trader Joe’s)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp of dried basil

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 400.  Toss the diced sweet potatoes with the coconut oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet.  Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.  While the sweet potatoes are baking, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet.  Once the bacon is crispy, add the sliced leeks in with the bacon and saute for another 4-5 minutes.  Put your spinach in a large salad bowl and add the bacon and leek mixture. Toss well, letting the warm bacon wilt the spinach.  Add the apples and sweet potatoes to the salad and toss together.  In a separate bowl whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.  Pour over the salad, mix well and garnish with the sliced almonds.

Enjoy!

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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75 Comments

  1. Kelly says:

    Looks great! I have all of these ingredients on hand–can’t wait for supper tomorrow!

  2. Cathy L from San Jose says:

    Hi Sarah
    not sure how to contact you privately but you might be interested in this article about Danger Dogs — I’ve tried concocting a healthier version (ie one that uses sausages instead of hot dogs). I thought it might appeal to you and particularly your boys plus I’d be interested to see you put your own particular stamp on this tasty dish.
    http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_17901959?nclick_check=1
    also see a wikipedia entry about danger dogs
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_dog

    1. Sarah says:

      YUM!! Thanks Cathy!

  3. This looks fabulous!

  4. Carole says:

    This salad sounds absolutely delicious! And I like your idea of adding chicken and making it a meal on its own. You and John keep cooking and sharing, please!

    1. Sarah says:

      We will Carole, thank you! : )

  5. Can’t wait to try this!
    Do you think I can replace the bacon for something that isn’t pork without losing any flavour?

    1. Sarah says:

      The dressing gives the salad such a great flavor you’ll be ok without the bacon, you can add any diced up meat of your choice to make it a meal! I added some steak to the salad the next day and it was great!

  6. Donna says:

    Aren’t sweet potatoes (starchy tuber) NOT allowed in the Paleo Diet? I’m confused! Thanks in advance for any enlightenment!

    1. Nancy says:

      Sweet potatoes are ok in small quantities, depending on how you react to them. They are good for active kids and adults, and those without damaged metabolisms. They may have too many carbs for those less active or those that are extremely carb sensitive. I’m ok with small portions of sweet potatoes, but my husband has to avoid them. Same with fruit, I can eat a bit and he can’t.

    2. Sarah says:

      Check out my FAQ’s page for my thoughts on sweet potatoes. : ) http://everydaypaleo.com/faq/

  7. Emily says:

    I have all of this on hand but the leeks. Is there anything that can be substituted for leeks? I am loving all of your recipes and it is really helping to change up our routine of dinners and get us into a less processed way of life. Thank you!!

    1. Sarah says:

      If you have an onion, use 1/2 of the onion and just dice it up!

      1. Emily says:

        Thank you!! Totally making this!!

        1. Sarah says:

          You’re welcome Emily!

  8. so easy and sounds amazing! being added to the dinner menu this week 😀 Thanks

    1. Sarah says:

      You are very welcome! I hope you enjoy it!

  9. Renee says:

    This is what I love about this site and eating Paleo, you have the stuff in your fridge, it tastes gormet and you feel so good eating it! My 15 year old daughter has been about 90% paleo for two weeks now. She went out to eat with Grandma yesterday. She made great Paleo choices. When her brother gave her a hard time about not getting to eat something, her reply was, “If you felt as good as I do, you wouldn’t want to eat it either!” I am so proud of her! Her eczema is slowly starting to clear and I can tell she is feeling way better. Thank you Sarah for showing me kids can eat this way!

    1. Renee says:

      I made this tonight and it was fabulous!

      1. Sarah says:

        So glad you liked it Renee!

    2. Sarah says:

      Hurray!! So great to hear Renee!! : )

  10. That is so true about the bonding that comes with cooking. When my husband agreed to join me in this lifestyle after only a week, it was such a great moment in our relationship. And now he is the meatball maker. And never grouchy! I just bought leeks and was wondering what I was going to do with them. This is perfect.

    1. Sarah says:

      Love it that he’s the meatball maker! So fun!

  11. Just wanted to let you know I giddily received my Everyday Paleo book today and I am soooooo excited! Every recipe sounds fabuluos and right up my alley and I LOVE the workout section, especially all your ideas for incorporating a baby/toddler into your exercise. I *almost* want to go wake up my smallest one (aka my new workout weight LOL) to try all the exercises out!

    You rock! Thank you so much for creating such a family-friendly paleo book! 🙂

    1. Sarah says:

      You are so welcome Laura and I’m glad you like the book!! : )

  12. Shannon says:

    I made this last night, subbing onions for leeks, adding chicken slivers sauteed in coconut oil and seasoned with salt/italian seasonings, I forgot the almonds. I LOVED it, and my husband liked it. I make .5 lb of pasta to go with it for my non-primal children and husband. 🙁 I can’t wait to have it again! I wish my husband would enjoy the primal meals I cook…

    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Shannon,
      Sounds yummy! Just keep at it and your husband will come around. Hang in there!

  13. Fred says:

    This was an awesome dish last night. I had all the ingredients on hand (except for the leeks, but I drive by the fruit stand anyway on the way home). Huge hit with the wife, not so much with the 7yo, but he avoids vegetables. Eventually, he’s going to eat them if I keep putting them out there.

    Thank you for the recipes. This is the 3rd recipe I have tried from your site and it’s been great. So I ordered the book last night.

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you so much Fred! : )

  14. I just got my book and I LOVE it!! I wondered if you have a recipe to make wonton wrappers? I really want to make a Paleo version of the Wonton Tacos at Applebees…

    1. Sarah says:

      I do not have a paleo wonton wrapper recipe, but funny you ask because John and I have been talking about coming up with a lumpia recipe (filipino egg roll) so I need to come up with some kind of wrapper for that! I’ll keep you posted! Another option is to wrap your filling in cabbage.

  15. Another amazing looking dish. My cooking back log grows and grows. Thanks again.

  16. Christine says:

    Oh my goodness!! This was so very good!! Thank you so much for sharing it.

    1. Christine says:

      Forgot to mention that the only thing I did different was cooked the bacon half way, drained it, put it back in the pan and added the sweet potatoes to it and cooked them together. It gets too hot this time of year to use the stove, so I try not to. I followed all the other directions exactly.

      1. Sarah says:

        Oh wow, I actually LOVE the idea of cooking the sweet potatoes in the bacon grease! Yum!

  17. Marci says:

    Made this tonight with Pecan Crusted Chicken from the book! YUM!
    So excited for your seminar in Clackamas, OR…can’t wait to meet you!
    Thank you for all you do!

    1. Sarah says:

      Can’t wait to meet you too Marci! Thank you!!

  18. Laura Howell says:

    I made this tonight. I knew that the salad would be amazing but I was totally not looking forward to the dressing as Apple Cidar Vin makes my nose scrunch up. So I made it…tasted it and LOVED IT!!! It was amazing!!! Thanks!!! I’ll be eating this often!!

    1. Sarah says:

      So glad you liked it! John is not a big fan of apple cider vinegar either and was totally doubting my decision to put it in the dressing but he loved it too!

  19. Anything with bacon in it is a friend of mine!

    I don’t often salivate from pictures but I think that is the most delicious looking salad I’ve ever seen!

    Come to think of it, this is intermittent fasting day… Well, anyway, beautiful salad!

    1. Sarah says:

      Bacon is my friend too… Love bacon..

  20. Jessica W. says:

    I can’t wait to try this!

  21. Michele Laine says:

    Sarah,

    This salad is delicious and I couldn’t wait to have it for dinner after workout tonight. Thank you for another delicious meal.

    1. Sarah says:

      Thank you Michele!

  22. Gail says:

    This looks wonderful. I made the Warm Bacon Arugala salad from your book and had to sub almond slivers for pecans — similar to this recipe. Everyone loved it. Sadly, no leftovers for breakfast or lunch the next day.

    Thanks for the good recipes. And your time. I wish we could give some back to you.

  23. Barbara says:

    I love the combination of salad with warm and hot toppings. It seems to really make the flavors pop. Can’t wait to try this one this weekend. Are you still enjoying pork from your friend or do you buy bacon now? Any particular favorite brand? I have been buying the nitrate free at Fresh and Easy but it doesn’t say anything about organic.
    I also have been trying to get my sons into helping me cook but I have what is known as a “one- butt kitchen” and sometime just want everyone to leave me alone in my tiny space! Any suggestions besides have more patience?

    1. Sarah says:

      Well, you can always give them a fun project to work on outside of the kitchen like making place mats, drawing, or setting the table, that way they still feel like they are contributing but you keep you sanity!

  24. Carolina says:

    This is delicious! I made it for lunch while I’m “working from home.” Thanks for the idea. Oh, and I just ordered your book. Hope it gets here soon.

  25. Patti says:

    My husband and I really enjoyed this salad last night. On Friday’s I like something that is easy and healthy to put together after a busy work week. I didn’t have leeks, but did substitute an onion that worked well in the recipe. What could be better than bacon and sweet potatoes, yum! Thanks Sarah for another great recipe!

  26. kristin mccaig says:

    is the mustard a mustard powder or condiment-type mustard?
    Thanks:)

    1. Sarah says:

      I used a condiment type mustard, it was the Spicy Brown Mustard from Trader Joe’s. : )

  27. This salad is wonderful! I added some chicken for more protein and it was so satisfying and delicious. This was my carb meal before a 15K trail race tomorrow. I cannot wait to have leftovers for my post-run meal!

  28. CF Tegan says:

    Made this for a crossfit dinner the other night and it was a hit…totally forgot the apple though! It is so hearty and satisfying…I also roasted the almonds and added walnuts…so good! I recommend this blog to so many people that are new to paleo. I think I’ll be buying your book soon!

  29. Larry says:

    I made this last night, albeit with about 12 pieces of bacon instead of 8. 🙂 It was AMAZING. My wife and son devoured it (they are not eating strictly Paleo per se, but by osmosis by being at the table with me they are starting to!). Hats off to a home run recipe! The more and more yummy Paleo things I cook that they love, the easier it is getting to integrate our household eating habits. Thanks for all the great info you share and publish!

  30. I made this last night and my girlfriend and I devoured the entire batch. It was sooo good! Thanks!

  31. Meagan says:

    This was amazing!!! I subbed red onion for leeks and used Dijon for spicy brown in the dressing. Thank you for sharing all these amazing recipes with everyone!!!

  32. YAY! I am soooo excited. Your book arrived at 730am this morning and I have not put it down since! It is the only paleo cookbook I have seen with endless meals I am dying to make. Thank you!!

  33. Hey Sarah! Thank you so much for this post. I cook your recipes weekly (I only cook a couple times a week 😉 ) so please keep them coming. and I love, love, LOVE the book!!!!

    So, to the point of my comment…How do you and your husband handle the cooking together? I would love for my husband to be involved and I think he’d like to be, I just don’t know how to incorporate him. Sometimes I can give him a simple recipe and he can cook it alone but I just don’t know how to get us both in there collaborating on a recipe! Any tips or suggestions? Perhaps a blog post about it??? 🙂

    1. Sarah says:

      We make it fun, laugh a lot, and try not to take ourselves too seriously. John is great at taste testing, grilling, and making fun of me while I’m cooking. It’s more about time spent together rather then anything else. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just fun. : )

  34. DELISH!!! I just tried this for lunch today and paired it with my “fried” chicken (which is made with pork rinds and baked in the oven).

    1. Stacy says:

      Alison, pork rinds? yum!! How do you make that?

  35. Stacy says:

    I just made this salad and had it with chicken fried in the leftover bacon grease! Yummers!

    1. Sarah says:

      Yum!!

  36. Danielle says:

    So good! I was a little short on bacon so I added a few scallops to the mix. Yum! And I just ordered Everyday Paleo. Excited 🙂

    1. Sarah says:

      Yum! I love the idea of scallops in this salad!

  37. Wow. Just found this tonight. What a hit with my family. Even my non paleo 15year old enjoyed this. Have ordered your book just waiting for it to arrive here in Australia. Can’t wait for it to get here

    1. Thanks so much Lisa!! We love this salad too….

  38. This yummy salad has become a regular in our menu rotation! We add chicken or pan seared scallops (cooked in the bacon grease, of course!). Yummy !!

  39. This is a GREAT salad! I added roasted carrots, extra mustard & apple cider vinegar to spice it up a bit. I’m new to paleo-food and this was a great starter!

  40. Christie says:

    Made this salad tonight. Super yummy! Definitely going on the regular rotation. Thankyou so much for the recipe!

  41. Lisa says:

    This salad is so loved by our family it has been renamed by my 18year old as Epic Salad

    1. Sarah says:

      Love it!!

  42. Jessica says:

    What kind of Apple do you use? Does it matter?

    1. It doesn’t matter, whatever your favorite apple is. 🙂

  43. Eileen says:

    I have made this salad for many a dinner party. Thank you for sharing! Super tasty!

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