This Freekeh Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Pears is a healthy, seasonal side dish or lunch!
It’s incredibly frustrating when I have a ton of work to do and my body won’t cooperate. I’ve been sick for almost 6 weeks now and it’s really getting in the way of everything! I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list which seems to be growing by the minute while this silly cough keeps me up at night and makes me sluggish all day. It’s a lose-lose situation. If I cough all night, I’m groggy. If I take medicine to help me sleep, I’m groggy. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that this annoying bronchitis finishes running its course ASAP.
Healthy salads are keeping me sane at the moment. I don’t want to stop and think about cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m already cooking all day for work. I’ve been enjoying throwing chicken or steak on greens with some fruit and nuts. I’ve also been eating a lot of grain salads that use up my produce. I can make a large grain salad over the weekend and enjoy it for several days. This freekeh salad is a new favorite. It’s flavorful, healthy and full of protein and fiber.
It’s easy to prepare. I boil the diced sweet potatoes, toss some freekeh in my slow cooker and prepare the orca beans according to package instructions. That’s the hardest part (and by hard I mean incredibly easy). Then I toss all of the salad ingredients together and dress it with a light, apple cider vinegar based dressing that bring a touch of acidity to the dish. It’s healthy, flavorful and addicting.
Freekeh Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Pears
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 2 cups cooked freekeh
- 1 1/2 cup pears, diced (I left the peel on)
- 3 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup baby arugula, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 cup cooked orca beans
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- a few twists of fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the diced sweet potatoes until they are soft but not mushy, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, toss together the freekeh, sweet potatoes, pears almonds, arugula, sage and orca beans.
- In a small container with a tight fitting lid, shake together the olive oil, apple cider, salt and pepper. Toss with the salad and serve.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
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Gorgeous salad, I love sweet potatoes! Hope you feel better soon and that you get some rest this weekend!
I want to devour this salad!!
Jen, this salad looks delicious! I’ve only ever eaten freekeh warm (in my mom’s Middle Eastern cooking) but this has me intrigued!
Mmm, sweet potato and pear in a grain salad, sounds amazing! Love these orca beans too, never heard of em’ but I know I’d like em’. Get well soon. : )
Looks great Jennifer I love finding new grains and this sounds so good with sweet pear and potato!
Jen, this sounds incredible and it,s gorgeous as always. I do hope you feel better soon.
Sorry you have been sick for so long. Ugh. I hope you’re on the mend soon. This salad looks delicious and perfect for fall. Never heard of orca beans before. I’ll have to check them out!
Ohhh hun, I so hope you start feeling better soon. 6 weeks is far too long!! This salad looks positively healing, so healthy! I hope it gives you a boost.
I hope your sickness subsides soon! This salad sounds so healthy and flavorful – love the sweet potato and pear combo!
you are still sick? Night time coughs are the worst. I have had a cold now for three and a half weeks and am ready to get back to normal! Love this salad. Never heard of orcas! Cool.
This dish sounds amazing! Pass me a fork!