Roasted sweet potato and macadamia salad

Looking for a colourful salad to serve with dinner tonight? Look for heirloom cherry tomatoes at your local farmer’s market. The punnet I used in this salad was made up of red, green, orange and yellow cherry tomatoes. And roasted macadamia nuts are a fabulous addition - with high levels of heart-healthy mono-saturated fat and plant-sterols, antioxidants and vitamin E.

For the salad:

200g sweet potato, peeled

1 tablespoon garlic-infused or regular olive oil

Pinch salt

160g mixed lettuce leaves, washed

50g baby spinach

180g cherry tomatoes (if you can find heirloom tomatoes, you can add some extra colour to your place).

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

120g macadamia nuts, roasted

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons garlic infused or regular olive oil (or macadamia oil)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

METHOD

1.      Cut sweet potato into slices, toss with oil and sprinkle with salt before roasting in a moderately hot oven for 15 mins until tender and golden

2.      Lightly roast macadamia nuts in a fry pan with a drizzle of oil until they develop some colour. You’ll be able to smell when they’re roasty & toasty!

3.      Place greens, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in a salad bowl.

4.      Combine dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad. Toss.

5.      Top with roasted sweet potato and macadamia nuts.

6.      Serve immediately.

Serves 4

NOTES FOR FODMAPPERS

• <75g (1/2 cup) of sweet potato is low in FODMAPs and should be tolerated by most individuals with IBS. Larger servings may contain mannitol.

• Butter lettuce, rocket, red coral and cos/Romaine lettuce can be eaten freely on the low FODMAP diet.

• <75g (1 ½ cups) of baby spinach is low in FODMAPs and should be tolerated by most individuals with IBS. Larger servings may contain fructans.

• <45g (or 3 cherry tomatoes per person per serve) is low in FODMAPs. Larger servings may contain fructose.

• Cucumbers can be eaten freely on the low FODMAP diet, although some people may be sensitive to the skin. While I typically leave the skin on, feel free to peel if you prefer.

• <40g (20 nuts) of macadamia nuts is low in FODMAPs and should be tolerated by most individuals with IBS.

• <21g (1 tbsp) of balsamic vinegar is low in FODMAPs and should be tolerated by most individuals with IBS. Larger servings may contain fructose. And combined with the cherry tomatoes, this could lead to FODMAP stacking so it is recommended that you stick to the suggested serving sizes.