As much of a salad fanatic that I am, I must admit that my intake of healthy greens dropped way down during the holiday’s. Luckily, all it took to get me back on track was a couple of days back at work in the Cancer Wellness kitchen.

We almost always have a salad for lunch and I love having the freedom to create something new from the ingredients on hand. I always challenge myself to add in as many “better for you” ingredients as possible. This week, I had some sweet potatoes leftover from another recipe and decided that sweet potato “croutons” would be a great addition to the Latin inspired salad I had prepared. Sweet potatoes are packed with nutritional value and easily adapt to many different flavor profiles. For this salad, I seasoned my croutons with cumin and smoked paprika, but any desired combination of herbs and spices could be used, depending on the theme of your salad. Perhaps, rosemary and thyme for mixed greens with a classic french vinaigrette, or garlic and coarse sea salt for a Caesar. Get creative and let your salad ingredients and spice cabinet inspire you.

Sweet Potato “Croutons”:

1 large Sweet Potato, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1/2 TB of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss sweet potato cubes with the olive oil and spices and spread in a single layer onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add to your salad.