Taking five...and Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Spring Green Salad

May was a nice calm month but June a different beast. For some reason I've felt a little bit like I've been chasing my tail for the last two weeks.  Even worse for poor 'A' whose been away twice for meetings, whilst marking hundreds of exam papers, teaching, and doing the school timetable for the next academic year. I did my bit with the exam papers, adding up the marks. They are all finished now and stacked up ready to be posted.


So we can stop for a little bit and just look around...That's what I did on my way grocery shopping...stopped the car and stepped outside for a minute. Took a few deep breaths and drank in all that lovely green and blue, and those perfect clouds...Just for a few minutes but it was so good.


Back home I enjoyed the reflected sunlight filtering in through the trees, smelt the honeysuckle  through the window and sneaked into my little work room for a quick look at My Friend Maia...and was reminded that the secret for long life is "simplicity, work and enjoyment".   


It's all about balance...


Oh and then I made lunch.  After watching Maia it had to be green and yellow salad...

Well actually it was more orange than yellow...but next best thing....


Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Spring Green Salad


Ingredients:

• One sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• A few leaves of spring greens or spinach
• One medium Portobello or a couple of small chestnut mushrooms sliced finely
• Pistachio nuts
• A little sumac
• Sea salt and crushed black pepper
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Runny honey
• Grainy Dijon mustard

Method:

1. Cook the sweet potato in boiling salted water until tender.
2. Meanwhile prepare a honey mustard dressing using the last four ingredients. Do this to taste I use less oil to vinegar ration than most recipes use because I'm not keen on an oily dressing.
3. Drain the sweet potato, place in a dish and drizzle with a good amount of the dressing and leave to marinade for a little while.
4. If using spring greens, remove the stalk and shred. Add to the sweet potato along with the mushrooms and pistachio nuts. Mix well.
5. Sprinkle with  a little sumac and check to see if you need any seasoning or more dressing.

This is a nice earthy salad with a lovely tangy dressing.  The sumac adds a hint of lemony texture and the pistachios are a real treat. This would work really well with some nice salty feta cheese too...