Blue Zones+ Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

In the past few weeks, I've had a friend and a couple of Co-op shoppers mention something called Blue Zones. Blue Zones are purported to be lessons in increasing longevity, health, and quality of life. From their website, "In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and hired the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people lived measurably better.  In these Blue Zones they found that people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States. ...after identifying the world’s Blue Zones, Buettner and National Geographic took teams of scientists to each location to identify lifestyle characteristics that might explain longevity. They found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones residents shared nine specific characteristics...

the key to getting the extra 10 years we’re missing is to follow the lessons from world’s longest-lived people and create environments of health." The website is certainly interesting and has concrete recommendations for increasing health and longevity. It also has a recipe section, and that was the reason for my visit there today. On Saturday, a Co-op shopper was raving about a recipe he'd just made from the site, so I decided to check it out. It turned out pretty well despite the fact that I didn't have a key ingredient-pecans. When I make it again, I will include them, I think their crunch would make this dish perfect.
This dish has also inspired goal#33- to eat at least one sweet potato a week. Sweet potatoes (also called "yams" in the U.S.) are a good source of fiber and potassium, and a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. They're also relatively super tasty, cheap, filling, and easy to prepare, so this should be an easy goal to meet!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

from bluezones.com
(This recipe makes a huge dish. I recommend halving it unless you are feeding a lot of people)

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (I didn't peel mine)

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup (or more) chopped fresh cilantro

2/3 cup toasted pecans

Dressing:

Combine all ingredients:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Roast the sweet potatoes–place diced sweet potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet, toss with olive oil, bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature.

Combine beans, bell pepper, onion, celery and cilantro in a large bowl.   Pour dressing over salad.  When the sweet potatoes are cooled, toss them gently into salad.  Pour pecans on top.