It’s salad season guys, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat plain and flavorless lettuce. If you are looking for a satisfying, healthy and flavorful salad, stay with me!

Buckwheat groats with tender sweet potatoes, blueberries, kale, and a creamy pesto yogurt sauce. This is the salad you need!

While the sweet potatoes are roasting in the oven with a little bit of oil, salt, and rosemary, you cook the buckwheat.

I love the texture of buckwheat, slightly crunchy yet tender, the grains are about twice the size of quinoa. If you ever had barley, they have a very similar texture. Buckwheat is also packed with B vitamins and rich in fiber, plus it’s gluten-free. Win-win!

As with basically any salad, the star here is the dressing. It relies on pesto combined with vegan yogurt, tahini and a squeeze of lime juice. Yogurt adds creaminess and pesto gives this salad an amazing basil flavor that pairs very well with the nuttiness of the buckwheat.

For the add-ins, I went with massaged kale, blueberries, sunflower seeds and chopped almonds. Any greens will work: spinach, collards, swiss chard or even arugula.

This salad is super refreshing, healthy and packs 14g of protein per serving. You can serve it as is, or as a side with falafels or tofu skewers for example.

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

Sweet Potato & Pesto Buckwheat Salad

Flavorful and healthy buckwheat salad with roasted sweet potato, kale, blueberries and sunflower seeds. Served with a creamy pesto yogurt sauce.

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• Yield: 4

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Ingredients

Sweet Potato

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• 1/8 tsp salt

Buckwheat Salad

• 2 and 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup raw buckwheat
• 2 cups greens (kale, baby spinach, etc), finely cut
• 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 2 tbsp chopped almonds, pecans or cashews

Pesto Dressing

• 1/3 cup vegan pesto
• 1/3 cup non-dairy yogurt
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

Sweet Potato

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash the potato and cut it into cubes, or matchsticks. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt.
2. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and start to brown. Set aside.

Buckwheat Salad

1. In the meantime, add the water and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the buckwheat and let simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the buckwheat is cooked. Drain excess water if needed. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the buckwheat.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and add the roasted sweet potato, kale (see notes), sunflower seeds, blueberries and chopped almonds. Add the dressing and mix until everything is coated with the sauce.
3. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. It will keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Pesto Dressing

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Notes

If using kale, thinly slice it. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Massage for 20-30 seconds, until it starts to soften and becomes darker. This step will make the kale more tender.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 (with dressing)
• Calories: 379
• Sugar: 4.7g
• Fat: 17.5g
• Carbohydrates: 52.1g
• Fiber: 8.3g
• Protein: 14g