Take Salads Al Fresco For A Sweet Summer Meal

This Grilled Sweet Potato and Blueberry Salad offers all the tastes of the season with Spring Salad Mix, Fresh Blueberries, Walnuts and Blue Cheese. Topped with Homemade Lemon Honey Vinaigrette, it's a light yet filling meal fit for warm days thanks in part to the superfood that takes it to new heights: Sweet Potatoes.

As one of the most versatile vegetables that's easy to add to a variety of recipes for flavor and nutritional enhancement, Sweet Potatoes can be a key ingredient in simple or elevated, sweet or savory dishes alike. Whether they're cooked on the stove, baked, microwaved, slow-cooked or grilled to a perfect doneness with a crispy char, they can be an ideal addition to better-for-you summer meals.

Plus, they're a "Diabetes superfood" per the American Diabetes Association because they're rich in Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants and Fiber, all of which are good for overall health. When enjoyed with the skin on, one medium Sweet Potato contains more than 100% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin A, an important vitamin affecting Vision, Bone Development and Immune Function. They're also a good source of Fiber and rich in Potassium.

Another fun fact: the National SweetPotato Collaborators officially adopted the one-word spelling in 1989 to avoid confusion with equally unique and distinctive potatoes, which are also grown and marketed in the U.S. Sweetpotato is a noun, not an adjective, meaning "sweet" is not a descriptor but part of the actual nomenclature. This is different from other potatoes using adjectives like white, red or russet to describe an entirely different vegetable.

Find more nutritional information, fun facts and summer recipe ideas at: www.NCSweetpotatoes.com

Grilled Sweet Potato And Blueberry Salad
Recipe courtesy of the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission and Andrea Mathis: www.beautifuleatsandthings.com
Servings: 4

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette:
6 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Honey
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
4 Cups of Spring Salad Mix
1 Cup of Fresh Blueberries
1/3 Cup of chopped Walnuts
1/4 Cup of Blue Cheese Crumbles
Lemon Wedges, for garnish (optional)

To make the Lemon Honey Vinaigrette: In a bowl, mix the Olive Oil, the Lemon Juice, the Dijon Mustard and the Honey. Season it with Salt and Pepper, to taste and refrigerate it until it is ready to be served.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Drizzle the Sweet Potatoes with the Olive Oil and season them with Salt and Pepper, to taste. Grill the sliced Sweet Potatoes on each side for about 5 minutes, or until the Sweet Potatoes are tender and slightly charred. Remove them from the grill and let them cool.

To arrange the Salad, spread the Spring Salad Mix onto a large platter and top it with the grilled Sweet Potatoes, the Blueberries, the Walnuts and the Blue Cheese Crumbles.

Top with the Lemon Honey Vinaigrette and garnish it with Lemon Wedges, if desired.