Seasoned with the flavors of the Southwest – cumin, lime, and cilantro – this Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad is skinny, healthy, and colorful.
It’s another recipe from 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness, my go-to cookbook at the moment.
Choosing a sweet potato recipe for this week’s 38 Power Foods Blog Group was a bit of a challenge, since there were so many wonderful options and I’m a huge sweet potato fan.
It’s now week 12 of our challenge to make and write our way through the ingredients featured in Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients, by Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine.
Other participating bloggers include: Alyce – More Time at the Table, Ansh – Spice Roots, Jeanette – Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Jill – Saucy Cooks, Mireya – My Healthy Eating Habits, Sarah – Everything in the Kitchen Sink, Casey – My Sweet & Savory, and Bambi – Adobo Down Under.
Skinny on Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad
Low in calories and packed with both nutrients (beta-carotene and Vitamins B6, C and E) and fiber, sweet potatoes are a natural choice for Weight Watchers others wanting to lose weight.
We had this Skinny Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad for dinner tonight. I thought it was good, but not great. Next time I’m going to try roasting the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them and I’ll add a little honey (1-2 teaspoons) to the dressing.
According to my calculations each serving has 128 calories and *3 Weight Watchers Points Plus.
Enjoy!

- 2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (2-3 large)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 large red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
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Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Set the pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil, then cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
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Drain the potatoes and then let them cool completely.
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While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the cumin, salt, oil, lime juice and hot pepper sauce.
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In a large bowl, combine the cooled sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro.
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Add the dressing and gently toss everything together until well blended.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again gently.
Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (about 1/2 cup): 128 calories, 4 g fat, 22 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 2 g protein and 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Good; not great. Next time I will roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. And I'll add a little honey (1-2 teaspoons) honey to the dressing.
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Alyce Morgan
Great cooks think alike; I did potato salad, too.
Yours looks yum.
Martha
How Cool, Alyce. I haven’t been by to visit your potato salad yet, but will get there later this week!
Martha
Thanks, Mireya, Jeanette, and Ansh. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Ansh
There is something about sweet and spicy that makes me go OH YUMM!! love the idea of this salad. Bookmarked it to try.
Jeanette
The flavors sound fantastic in this recipe. I do think roasting sweet potatoes (and other vegetables) brings out the best in them.
Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits
Oh it definately sounds good roasted! I’m going to try it this weekend!