Sweet Potato Salad-Colorful and Delicious

This is a tasty salad full of nutritious ingredients, especially the sweet potatoes!

Ingredients: 

2 lbs sweet potatoes
1/2 lb of garbanzo beans (not canned). If you can get the ones with the skin (called kala channa from an Asian store, it is even healthier) 
1 red onion cut into fine pieces (optional) Salt to taste 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small bunch cilantro
I teaspoon turmeric (optional)

Soak the garbanzo beans, black or pale color, in hot water and leave it overnight. The next day, drain the water, and add 2 quarts of warm water, and a pinch of salt, and bring it to boil on a full flame. Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn down the flame and close the lid, and keep it boiling on a low flame for about 1/2 hour. Check the beans to make sure they are done, but not mushy. 

Dice the sweet potatoes into small pieces, 1/4 inch or so. Add salt to taste and olive oil. If you have turmeric, add it to the potatoes now. This is primarily for the anti inflammatory virtues of the turmeric, and does not add much to taste. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour at 350 degrees. In the meantime, cut the red onions to a fine dice. Add I tablespoon of oil in a heavy skillet and saute the red onions for a few minutes, and then turn down the flame, and caramelize the onions for about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the flame.

After 1/2 of roasting the potatoes, add the drained garbanzo beans, red onions, and mix together and roast for another 5 to 7 minutes taking care that they do not char. Place in a serving dish and add finely chopped cilantro to it. 

Variations: If you like your potatoes spicy, may add a teaspoon of curry powder to it, while adding salt. If you are adding curry powder, you do not need to add turmeric, as the curry powder contains turmeric. 

If you have only canned garbanzo beans, drain it well and place it in the oven on a pan for roast for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees, before adding it to the sweet potatoes. This will crisp the beans, and give it the flavor of just cooked beans.