I truly believe that a good salad takes a lot of intentionality. You have to think about how the different textures will work together – it can’t be too many soft ingredients and it can’t just be all crunchy. You need a balance of salt and acid and savory and sweet to create a wonderful medley of flavors and experience for the tongue.
My Fall Harvest salad does just that. From the savory aspect of the roasted veggies, the sweet and crunch of the in season apples, to nuttiness of the toasted pepitas and the little zing that comes from the lemon and ginger in the salad dressing, it truly is the perfect combination!
You’ll notice I did not list amounts for each ingredient in the salad because I consider the balance of what you choose to be preferential – just measure with your heart!
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
Grilled Chicken
Spring Mix
Sweet Potato
Acorn Squash
Apple
Pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds)
Feta Cheese
Dressing:
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Fresh Ginger
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper
Some tips and tricks to elevate your salad:
Toast your pepitas on the stove with a little black pepper, maple syrup, and butter! It will really elevate the dish!
I roasted my sweet potato and squash with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cinnamon and put it right on the salad when it came out of the oven. This wilts your greens a little bit but also helps make the feta creamy!
The grilled chicken is totally optional and can be substituted with any other protein of your choice! Personally, I think that turkey, tofu, or chickpeas would be a great addition or substitute!
You can use any dressing you like but homemade will always taste best and always, always, always, season your dressing.
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