If you’re looking for something fresh and crunchy, sweet and savory, fairly healthy but also delicious, then this kale & cabbage combination with oven baked yams and honey mustard dressing ought to do the trick. The creamy yams paired with the crunchy kale, cabbage, and yellow apple create a beautiful temperature and textural contrast, while the honey mustard dressing unifies all the elements, bridging the differences between the ingredients underneath its flavorful drizzle. Perfect for a singular lunch or even a pre-made weekly meal prep, this bowl of fresh cruciforms with warm oven baked yams and zippy dijon mustard dressing is a one dish that you’re not going to want to miss out munching on.
“…May your yams be delicious and your pies take the prize…”
– Grandpa Jones
Why Massage Kale?
Crunchiness is the prominent texture in this bowl of primarily fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Yellow Apple, thinly sliced
- Red Cabbage, finely shredded
- Lacinato (Italian) Kale, finely shredded
The most unyielding of the three is likely to be the kale. When shredded or pulled apart into bite-sized pieces, it still maintains all of its incredibly chew. And so, to make the kale more palatable, especially if you’re not the biggest fan of kale when raw, massage it before adding to the cruciform bowl.
Kale is quite the stubborn green and can be rather tense without some TLC (queue the song “PYT” by Michael Jackson). Massaging kale helps to tenderize and soften it. That way, a mouthful won’t be quite as astringently chewy, but rather more tractable for your teeth and a more pleasant experience overall.
“Here’s what I realized about the yam – it’s the same colour as a Nerf ball. You may be wondering: ‘Is he saying he ate a Nerf ball?’.”
– Jon Stewart
How Do You Oven Baked Yams?
Baking yams is the most delicious way to prepare them, in my opinion. Straight out of the oven, they are wonderfully creamy, comfortingly warm, and amazingly sweet.
Here’s how to do it.
Lightly brush them with olive oil, poke them with a fork (to keep them from exploding in the oven!..), pop them on a baking sheet, and then bake at 425°F (218°C) until tender, about 40 – 45 minutes (a fork poked in the yam will let you know).
I’ve found that there is no need to wrap the yams in tinfoil, really. Instead, use a lining of tinfoil underneath the yam while it bakes, to prevent it from sticking to the baking sheet (you can also use parchment, I think).
And there you go, oven baked yams!
“You cannot plant greatness as you plant yams or maize…the great tree chooses where to grow and we find it there, so it is with the greatness in men.”
– Chinua Achebe
How Do You Make A Honey Mustard Dressing Vegan?
Just 3 ingredients!
- Smooth dijon mustard
- Agave syrup
- Olive oil
When combined together, you’ll have yourself a super simple honey mustard dressing that’ll perfectly marry the sweet oven baked yams with the crunchy apple and cruciforms.
Agave isn’t exactly honey, of course. On average, it’s a bit sweeter, almost cloyingly so. For this reason, I tend to use only as much as I need to balance the other flavors.
Even so, it does tend to have a similar viscosity to that of honey, and therefore it’s mostly interchangeable.
If you’re not a fan of agave syrup, use maple syrup instead.
“I’m in the kitchen. Yams erwhere.”
– 2 Chainz
Looking for More Bowls of Plant-Based Deliciousness?
- Forbidden Miso Ramen with Oven Baked Sriracha Tempeh
- BBQ Bibimbap Bowl
- Guajillo Chili Tofu Bowl with Bok Choy and Peppers
- Roasted Beet Bowl with Avocado Yogurt and Turmeric Couscous
“I hate cooking. But I do make the candied yams every year at Thanksgiving. And they’re awesome! You could definitely get diabetes and cavities from them, but they’re delicious!”
– Marlon Wayans
Why You Ought To Make This (With or Without Quinoa?)!
This is an astounding, colorful bowl of both cooked and uncooked produce, where every bite is a delightful combination of creamy and crunchy, as well as zippy, once topped with an easy-to-make honey mustard dressing that is.
And, if you’re feeling up to it, whip up a small batch of quinoa and layer the bottom of the bowl. This will add another element overall, another dimension and layer of interest.
Oven baked yams can be made the day before, and then reheated in the oven or microwave. Add them plus the dressing to a meal-prep’ed container (already containing the kale, cabbage, apples and optional quinoa), and then enjoy!
“In her bottled up is a woman peppery as curry, a yam of a woman of butter and brass.”
– Marge Piercy
I hope that you enjoyed these oven baked yams and cruciform bowl. If you did, consider leaving me a recipe rating (click on the stars) and comment before you go!
Honey Mustard Cruciform Bowl with Oven Baked Yams
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 medium yams, washed and poked with a fork
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ head red cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 – 3 stalks lacinato kale, de-ribbed and finely shredded
- 1 sweet apple, de-cored and thinly sliced
- 2 ½ tablespoons smooth dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Then, wash the yams off well, and poke them with a fork thoroughly. Once preheated, bake the yams in the oven on a baking sheet lined with one sheet of aluminum foil for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can be inserted into the yams easily.
- While that's happening, prepare the veggies and the dressing. First, finely shred the cabbage and kale so that they're relatively similar in cut, and then thinly slice the apple, too. Secondly, whisk together the dijon mustard, agave syrup, and olive oil in a small bowl until well combined. And last of all, prepare the quinoa as the grainy base of the bowl.
- When the yams are tender, assemble your bowl. First, scoop some quinoa into the bottom of the bowl (optional), then lay down a handful of both kale and red cabbage on top, as well as the sliced apple. Next, ladle over that some honey mustard dressing, and then the baked yam, split in two.
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
I really love bowls. This one, a tender bed of grains and greens dressed up with apples and yams and a delicious creamy mustard dressing is beyond good and filling and healthy! YUM
This is gorgeous, Cameron! Making bowls with both cooked and raw textures is brilliant. Thank you for such a great post.