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I fancied making something using the sweet potato I have had in my cupboard for the last couple of days that would also provide me with some quick lunches. I chose to make a butterbean salad along with some extra veg to add colour and flavour.

This was really quick and easy to make and the colours all looked very attractive together, the pearly white of the beans, with the deep orange of the sweet potato and bright green of the peas. The cumin in the dressing complemented the sweet potato well. I had some for lunch today and I think it tasted even better than when I tasted it last night. The flavours have had time to mingle and mellow, so I would advise making this a few hours before you want to eat it and keeping it covered in the fridge.

Butterbean and Sweet Potato Salad
[Image]Ingredients
410g can butterbeans
1 medium sweet potato
1 red onion
1 carrot
50g frozen peas
1 tsp vegetable oil

Dressing
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground cumin

Method
Put a pan of water onto boil. Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1cm cubes.
Add to the pan and cook for 13 minutes before adding the frozen peas and cooking for a further 2 minutes until tender. Drain and leave to cool.
Meanwhile peel the red onion. Cut it in half lengthways and then slice it finely.
Heat a small frying pan with the vegetable oil and fry the onion until soft.
Drain the butterbeans and rinse them in cold water. Place into a container and grate over the raw carrot.
Add the fried onion, sweet potato and peas.
Put all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and mix together.
Drizzle it over the salad and toss together.
Great eaten on its own, or in a tortilla or pitta bread with lettuce and a thin spread of hummus.

Note: I think it would also be nice with some freshly chopped coriander stirred through, but I didn’t have any at the time.