Greek Chicken Salad (2 Ways)

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Hi there!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day yesterday.

Phew!  I'm actually glad it's over.  We ate way too much carbs yesterday!  I wasn't my intention but little things kept sneaking in to the menu and they added another level of carbs to the menu.  I am so ready for a salad today.

SALAD TO THE RESCUE

salad #1

I did double duty yesterday while we were grilling a wonderful juicy steak and snuck on a couple of chicken breasts to grill for today's salad.  Love doing that. Today we are gravitating toward Greek flavors.  This Greek Chicken Salad can be served two different ways.  I like mine to be about the chicken and array of Mediterranean vegetables along side, all covered with a delicious vinaigrette.  MGG loves same but wants some sort of lettuce mixed in with his vegetables to make it fuller.  Same salad two ways!

salad #2

The flavors of the Mediterranean really shine in this salad.  The marinade doubles as a salad dressing which makes things easy, and the lemon and oregano flavors pop in your mouth!  The chicken comes out juicy and so tasty and is perfect next to the cucumber, tomato salad mixture.  If you like olive, throw them in.  This is a versatile salad. 

It's hearty and easy to make.  Again, you can cook the chicken ahead and throw this together in no time at all.  Overall it's a great 30  minutes meal that you could make any weeknight. 

So Greek Chicken Salad is saving the day today, with a great low carb meal.

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Salad (2 Ways)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut in half to make four cutlets

4 Pita Bread, cut into eighths

Tazatziki (store bought)

Marinade / Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon  ( 2-3 Tablespoons )
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

For Salad #1:

3 Persian or 1 English cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced thick

1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used orange and red)

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

½ red onion, sliced thinly

1/4 c Feta cheese, crumbled

For Salad #2:
1/2 head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, torn
all other ingredients listed in Salad #1

Whisk together all the marinade / dressing ingredients in large, shallow dish. Pour out ⅓ cup to use as the dressing; reserve in the refrigerator for later.

Add the chicken to the marinade and evenly coat; cover and allow to marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

To a large bowl, add all vegetables and toss.  Set aside.   

Heat a outdoor grill to medium-high heat.  Add chicken, discarding the marinade to the grill.  Cook 5-6 minutes per side until cooked through (180 degrees) Remove from the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes.  Slice the chicken and arrange on plates.  Add dressing to the salad and toss.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.  Add salad to the side of the  chicken and add several pieces of pita bread to each plate.   Drizzle with any remaining dressing and serve with the tzatziki.

adapted from Café Delites

Workout Night Dinners: Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

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Weeknight dinners are a popular subject.  You come home late, your tired, and you still have to cook?  You want dinners that are on the table fast, everyone likes, and will satisfy your hunger. 

MGG and I have found a sub-set of that "weeknight dinner"  that we call WORKOUT NIGHTS. We have a workout regimen 2-3 nights a week in which we rush home from work and get ready for a vigorous aerobic workout.  Then comes dinner...

I'll tell you, after a workout I'm not all that hungry for at least an hour, plus I'm tired as a dog chasing butterflies all afternoon!  So dinner on those days?  Well lets just say they need to be really light, but recharge us and our sore muscles.  SALAD TO THE RESCUE.   Add a little protein to the mix and we are refueled in a healthy way.  Ready to pass out to face another day! 

In comes my "to make" list of goodies from Pinterest.  I found that Karina from Café Delites really knows how to do protein and salads.  This week I decided to make my version of her Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad (barely tweaking it)  HOLY COW!  I think that this marinade/dressing has to be the best one EVER.  I love it so much that I'm making this my go to marinade for everything grilled, baked, or pan fried.  It's that good.

To make this salad work for us on Workout Nights, I did some of the prep work while I was waiting for MGG to get home.  I made the marinade and prepped the veggies with the exception of the avocado.  As the chicken is grilled I used the grill pre-heating time to marinate the chicken for 15 minutes while it came to room temperature.  This worked out perfect and was so flavorful that it really didn't need much more time. 

About an hour after our workout MGG lit the grill outside and I threw the chicken in the marinade.  15 minutes later he threw the chicken on the barbie and I decorated the salad platter and sliced the avocado.  Chicken done, rested, and sliced and dinner was served!

The best part of all that?  The flavors of this salad were outstanding.  Seriously outstanding.  You need to make this now.  It is a great 30 minute meal, the perfect salad, and weeknights never tasted so good!

WORKOUT NIGHT DINNER ACCOMPLISHED!

Kitchen Note:  Lemon juice (acid) will cook your protein as it sits in the marinade.  For chicken it should not be left on more than a couple of hours or it will break down the protein too much and affect the texture of the chicken.  Beef and pork can be left in the marinade up to about 4 hours as they take longer to break down.






Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

adapted slightly from Café Delites

serves 4

Marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked pepper, to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, slice in half to make thin cutlets

4 cups lettuce leaves, washed and dried ( I used Lafayette mix)
1 large English cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a re-sealable storage bag.  Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (or you can use and indoor grill pan).  Add the chicken to the marinade in the bag and allow to sit while coming to room temperature on the counter 15 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator).

Prepare all of the salad ingredients and add to a large bowl or serving platter.  

Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through. thin sliced chicken about 4-5 minutes on the first side and about 3-4 on the other side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. 

Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange in the salad. Drizzle the entire salad with the remaining dressing. Serve with lemon wedges if you like.

Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

Yum

Summer fruit is everywhere and what a better way to use it than in a cooling fruit salad.

This salad isn't any old fruit salad though.  No, it is one that is tossed in a wonder sauce.  Yes, a sauce that just lends another layer of fruit flavor to the mix. 

Recently I had the leisure of attending  a Cool "No Cook" Sauces cooking class taught by Phillis Carey (one of my favorite chefs) down in San Diego.  She made some fabulous sauces using oils and vinegars from Vom Fass.  I love them all but new that I would make the Red Currant Raspberry Sauce first.  She placed it on a fruit salad and I loved it so much that I kept my dish simple as well.  

We had this for Memorial Day, but guess what?  The 4th of July holiday is coming up next week and this would be the most PERFECT dish to serve at any BBQ festivities you may be having.  Perfect for a picnic, grill, potluck, outdoor concert, beachside, lakeside...you name it.  Everyone loved this fruit salad so since it was such a hit, I wanted to share it with you today.

Kitchen Notes:  This uses a Red Currant Jelly.  Bonne Maman' make a good Red Currant jelly.  You also may find it from Knott's jelly.  If you can't find the red currant use a good grape jelly.  It tastes delicious as well.  This also uses raspberry vinegar which I've seen at most major grocery stores as well as Walmart.  You can also get one here. It's also perfect in salad dressings.  The 3rd item is that she uses grapeseed oil.  This is a great base to the dish as it a healthy choice and has a clean, light mild taste which is perfect for a dish where you want the fruit flavors to shine.  This can be bought at most grocery stores, Walmart, and Trader Joe's.

This serve a crowd but you can adjust this to suit how many you are serving.  I used little ice cream cups to serve our in.  They look adorable!

Enjoy!




Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

5 cups of mixed fruit ( I used watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew melons)

Sauce:
1/4 cup red currant jelly, melted and slightly cooled
2 T raspberry vinegar
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grapeseed oil

Place the mixed fruit into a large mixing bowl.  To make the sauce, whisk together the melted jelly, vinegar, sugar, mustard, paprika and salt until well mixed.  Slowly whisk in the oil.  At this point the sauce may be chilled until serving time.  When ready to serve, pour over fruit and toss to combine.  Serve immediately or may be refrigerated up to 4 hours before serving. 

Source:  sauce if from Phillis Carey Cool 'No Cook' Sauces cooking class

Arugula Spinach Salad with Feta, Cranberries & Pecans

The holiday season is here and I'm sure you've been planning some special meals.

I try to make several new dishes each year at Thanksgiving and Christmas to go along with our family favorites to add something new and special to the mix.

This year this salad will be one of the stars.  It's a perfect winter salad that will accompany any choice of meat you are having.  Whether it be turkey, ham or beef, this will be perfect as a starter.  It's also a great choice for vegetarian meals as well, and you can certainly leave out the dairy if you choose.

I love this salad for it's flavor combination of sweet and salty. You have the slightly peppery arugula and the ever steady spinach.  The sweet plump cranberries (reconstituting dried cranberries is easy!) and the salty bite from the feta.  Add more crunch with toasted pecans, and some coolness from some Persian cucumbers and you have one awesome salad!

Now the real treat is in the dressing.  The pomegranate vinegar lends another tart fruity flavor to the salad which goes just perfectly with these simple ingredients.  

Trust me, everyone who has ever eaten this salad has asked for the recipe.  So now I'm sharing it with you!  Hope you serve this at your holiday dinner this year.

Enjoy!




Arugula Spinach Salad with Feta, Cranberries & Pecans

serves 8-10

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons pomegranate vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
salt & pepper
5 oz baby arugula (1/2 package)
5 oz fresh spinach (1/2 package)
3 Persian cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 cup pecan halves, toasted
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Place the boiling water in a liquid measuring glass, and add the cranberries.  Let them soak for 10 minutes, then drain.

In a small bowl or jar add the orange juice, vinegar, and mustard.  Add the oil and whisk or shake until blended.  Add the parsley to the vinaigrette and stir or shake once more. 
Season with salt & pepper to taste.  

Place the arugula and spinach in a large bowl.  Add the cranberries, cucumbers, pecans, and feta cheese.  Toss with vinaigrette, or serve on the side.  

Southwestern Avocado Salad

The other day MGG and I went up to Pt. Mugu in Camarillo to watch my very first air show.  

WOW!  What an amazing thing to experience.

The RUSH you get from seeing these planes speed across the sky.  We were lucky that this show had many different airplanes but the main attraction was the BLUE ANGELS.  I can't even describe what you feel when you see them fly in formation about 10 feet from each other....or coming at each other head on, or speed over your head unexpectedly.  They almost knocked me off my feet (literally)!! Needless to say I was blown away by the air show and can't wait to go again!  

After a long day I begged MGG to go to one of the local farmer's markets in Oxnard to pick up some fresh veggies for our late lunch/early dinner.  He didn't resist too much as he knew he was in for a great treat later on.  So off we went, "Mach 1" to the farmer's market.  Oxnard is one of the major hubs for farms in CA so it is filled with farm fresh foods. Today was all about Avocados, lettuce, corn, and carrots. We loaded up and headed home in anticipation of a great salad.

Loving the flavor of the southwest I decided to throw together this quick, yet delicious salad.  It's filling, but if you would like to add meat for additional protein I highly recommend some grilled chicken.  Yum! 

Try it.
You'll LOVE it!

The flavors are perfect together and the buttery fresh avocado just adds that extra special something. I've added two different dressings for you to choose from. They are both great with this salad.  

Enjoy!



Southwestern Avocado Salad

serves 4

1 head Red leaf lettuce, chopped
1 14 oz lower sodium can black beans, rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup of shredded carrots
2 ears of corn (1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen corn)
2 avocados, cubed
Lemon juice
Queso Fresco, crumbled
Ranch Salsa dressing (optional) (see below)
or
Southwest Vinaigrette (optional) (see below)

In a large bowl, add your lettuce, beans, tomato, and carrots. Wrap the 2 corn on the cobs in plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 1/2 minutes.  Allow to cool before handling. Slice corn kernels off the cob.  Add corn to bowl.  Sprinkle avocado cubes with lemon juice to keep from browning. Add to the bowl.  Mix salad and transfer to a platter.  top with crumbled cheese and serve with your choice of salad dressing.


Ranch Salsa Dressing:  Mix 1/2 cup of bottled or homemade ranch dressing with 1/4 cup of zesty salsa.

Southwest Vinaigrette:  Mix 1/4 cup olive oil with 2 Tbls. lime juice, dash of hot sauce, and 2 Tbls of chopped cilantro.  

Summer Salad

Here's the 2nd great dish that's perfect for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

This salad is one of our go-to salads during the summer months.  We tend to eat much lighter than the rest of the year, and we eat tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. MGG and I love going to local farmer's markets and picking in season items to make for dinner over the weekend.  It's a fun summer pass time.  

This year has been one of the best I can remember for strawberries.  they are so plump and juicy and need no sweetening.  I just can't get enough of them.  My Summer Salad features these wonderful berries and the combination of the sweet berries, tang from Gorgonzola cheese, and crunch of pecans is perfect.  Something you will enjoy over and over all summer.

I also love items that are quick to put together.  Who really wants to spend all day in the kitchen during the summer? Not me!

So make sure to round up your friends this weekend, and bring this salad.  They will request seconds....no doubt!

Enjoy!

Kitchen Tip:  Add some grilled or rotisserie chicken to make this a main course salad.



Summer Salad

serves 6

7 cups of romaine lettuce, torn (1 large head)
1 cup of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 cup pecan halves
3 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced

In a large bowl add the lettuce.  Layer on the cheese, pecans, and the strawberries. In a small mason jar add the oil, vinegar, salt, mustard, and garlic.  Place lid on and shake to combine.  

Pour dressing over the salad right before serving.

Greek Chicken Bread Salad

 
I started out with good intentions today.

I went to a cooking class, (which was fabulous) and was totally excited to make a southwestern or "TexMex" version of enchiladas along with some Spanish rice, cause I learned a new technique with the enchiladas that I just have to try. Like now....!

This was going to be enchiladas assembly line day...with one set for dinner and another set to freeze.

After the class I decided to go shopping. Since I was in the browsing mood I took my time in a new grocery store, drooling over new items that I might like to create new dishes with. (They have a whole section of exotic fruits I have to get my hands on!) Needless to say, being in a new store trying to locate my must have list items, and me taking my time browsing I spent way to much time in the store...ho hum...

By the time I got home I was hungry (I was very bad...I didn't eat anything today!) and, I was tired. SO NOT in the mood anymore to make my enchiladas. What to do with the chicken I have and a hungry man staring at me in hopes of dinner tonight? Let's whip up a healthy salad!

I love a great Panzanella salad, and with what I had on hand I turned this into a Greek version. The bomb! We both agreed this was a quick, healthy and light salad worthy of a gold star.  

I used Greek ingredients like cucumbers, bell peppers, feta, lemon, and oregano to flavor this Greek version.  You can add anything you like such as olives, tomatoes, pepperocini, etc...make it  your own!  

Kitchen Tip:  If you don't want to go to the trouble to make the toasted bread cubes, use croutons.  They'll be fine.
   

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Bread Salad

serves 4

2 cups cubed French bread baguette, crust removed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
zest of 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 chicken cutlets, thin sliced
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 medium English cucumber, sliced
1/3 cup feta cheese, chunks or crumbled

Preheat broiler.

Place baguette cubes on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Broil about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over after the 1st minute.

In a small mason jar combine oregano, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon, and red pepper flakes. Shake to combine. Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with lemon pepper. Place chicken in the skillet and cook about 4 minutes on each side (depending on thickness) or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow to cool 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain.

Add bread cubes, lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber and feta to a large bowl. Toss with salad vinaigrette. Top with chicken.

Dinner to Go: Asian Pasta Salad with Hoisin Grilled Chicken

Last week MGG and I got to do one of our favorite summer things...taking in a concert at the Hollywood Bowl!

It was a night of Hitchcock.  There is nothing better than listening to music under the stars.  The program was absolutely amazing.  They showcased 17 Hitchcock movies taking popular scenes from each and showed them on the big screens while the LA Phil Orchestra played the music in time with the movie. FABULOUS!!!  

We arrived early to eat alfresco while the sun was setting. Sometimes we buy hot food to share for our picnic, but quite often I cook our meal, planning out a great dinner and dessert.

This time I decided to fix a dish that would be delicious either cold or at room temperature.  Flipping through my memory I recalled a dish that a wonderful chef taught me that I fixed for a concert my mom and I attended.  This Asian Pasta Salad is filled with good things such as Hoisin flavored chicken, carrots, and strips of crunchy sweet red peppers among spaghetti.  This is all tossed in a Ginger Cilantro dressing that is to die for.  This meal is really all about the dressing....trust me and don't skip this part!

It's the perfect item to pack in individual containers making it travel ready and also easy to eat.  I served it along with some small appetizers to round out the meal.  MGG was bragging about the flavors of this dish for about 1 week. Now that's a compliment!

So if you are eating under the stars, in a park, or the backyard, this dish is perfect.  

Enjoy!

Asian Pasta Salad with Hoisin Grilled Chicken

source:  slightly adapted from Phillis Carey "Fast and Fabulous Summer Chicken"

serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

12 oz spaghetti, uncooked

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1 small red bell pepper, cut into julienne strips

1 small carrot, cut into julienne strips

Ginger-Cilantro Dressing:

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3 slices fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

Trim chicken and pound to an even 1/2 inch thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a zip lock bag.  In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, Hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce and ginger.  Pour over chicken, turning to coat.  Let chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

For dressing, using a mini food processor add garlic and ginger and process to mince.  Add the cilantro, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and oil.  Puree until well blended. Remove chicken from marinade and grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through.  Set aside to cool slightly and then cut into thin strips.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti until tender.  Toss noodles with sesame oil in a large bowl.  Add the peppers and carrots to the warm noodles.  Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.  Add enough dressing to coat noodles well. Serve at room temperature or may be served cold.

Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salad

Yum

Today's dish screams summer.  

We're taking advantage of our warm evenings and grilling our dinner for a night under the stars with good food and good company.

I encourage you to take advantage of the last summer bumper crop of corn and tomatoes (Yum!) and pull together a dinner that is fresh and light. This dish was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe of the same name, and is perfect to throw together this weekend.  

The grilled chicken is flavored with a spicy rub that's easy to put together.  The salad is fresh with several types of tomatoes, avocado, and corn.  Top it with a homemade dressing made with buttermilk.  It's the perfect topping to the salad.  

Serve your fabulous dinner with a mixed fruit salad to keep the fresh theme going.

The result?  Killer dinner!!!  Your family and guest will think you are a genius! (shhh!  don't tell them how easy this was...)

Hope you enjoy this dish and take time to savor the end of summer.



Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salad

serves 4

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced

For the Chicken:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded thin
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle or ancho chile powder

For the Salad:

2 ears yellow corn, shucked
1 yellow heirloom tomato, sliced
1 red heirloom tomato, sliced

1 orange heirloom tomato, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 sliced peeled ripe avocado

Preheat grill to high heat. Combine first 9 ingredients in a mason jar, shake to combine. Chill buttermilk mixture until ready to serve.

Combine oil, onion powder, cumin, and chipotle or ancho chile powder. Rub evenly over chicken. Arrange chicken and corn, on grill rack; grill 8 minutes or until done, turning chicken once and corn occasionally. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Cut corn kernels from cobs.

Slice chicken. Arrange on a platter or individual plates.  For the salad, arrange tomatoes on a platter alternating colors, and adding cherry tomatoes randomly.  Top with corn and avocado evenly on the platter.   Drizzle with dressing and serve.  

source:  Cooking Light via MyRecipes.com

Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

 Winter calls for winter fruit.

Luscious oranges and pears call my name as I walk through the fruit stands.  Yes, I miss the fruits of summer.  I surely do, but I'm happy to substitute what's in season until they return.

So it's time to make a winter citrus salad.  A Blood Orange and Pear Salad to be exact.  Sweet and tangy come together to form a flavor profile that is bright and light during the winter months.  What better way to use winter fruits, especially since I love them in salads.

This is a simple salad where the fruit is the star.  Even the vinaigrette is the same fruity theme using lemon as the acid.  What a great way to dress this salad!



Blood Orange and Pear Salad

serves 2

1 large Bartlett pear
2 Blood Oranges
3 cups mixed salad greens
1/3 cup shredded carrots
Lemon Vinaigrette

Peel and slice the pear in half and remove the core.  Slice pear into thin wedges.  Remove peel on oranges with a knife.  Cut oranges crosswise to make orange circles.  

In a large bowl add salad greens and carrots.  Toss with several tablespoons of lemon vinaigrette.  Arrange the pears, and oranges on top of the greens.  Sprinkle with more vinaigrette if you desire.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 fresh chopped thyme
salt & pepper

Combine first four ingredients in a mason jar.  Shake to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

 I love salads that are born out of "kitchen sink" items that turn out spectacular!

This is what happened with this salad.  A little rummaging through the refrigerator and I came up with some leftover cooked green beans, a sweet potato, and some carrots.

So let's make a salad!  But this one is special.  Why?  The roasted, caramelized sweet potatoes lend such a great warm comforting feeling to this salad.  Not to mention the wonderful sweetness!  I used an actual sweet potato, which you will notice is more of a white color.  You could use a yam, which are orange fleshed.  That would certainly make the color pop, but the taste will be the same.  

The green beans were leftovers, which I kept at room temperature for this salad, giving a nice crunch.

So taking simple ingredients that are fresh, make for a spectacular salad!  Topped with a simple yogurt dressing that is tangy, yet light.  The perfect lunch if I do say so. 

I hope you find this inspiring enough to make your own comforting salad.  Please come back and let me know what you think of it once you try it.

Enjoy!


Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

serves 4

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" chunks
8 oz of green beans, cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 c shredded carrots
mixed spring greens

Dressing:

1 c plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place potato chunks on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat.
Spread potatoes in a flat layer.  Roast for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

Meanwhile, prepare dressing in a small bowl or mason jar.  Add all ingredients and shake until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.

Assemble salad by placing  equal parts lettuce on each plate.  Top with potatoes, green beans and carrots.  Drizzle with dressing.  Serve.