I don’t consider myself a wondrous cook in the kitchen but if there is one thing I excel at, it’s making a good salad. Over the years, having a salad for lunch has become a daily ritual. I no longer know what to even consume if salad ingredients aren’t at my disposal. So I make a point to buy all the add-ins every week in my grocery run and I’ve figured out a system for pulling together the most delicious and nutritious salads.
Lately, my new fix has been this “Rainbow Salad”
I wanted to really focus on eating more raw vegetables. So I did a little perusing of raw vegetable inspiration on the internet and came back with a formula to create a veggie forward salad that doesn’t lack taste or flavor.
There are TWO main ingredients that I think really make the difference in this salad. And that’s the roasted sweet potato and the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette from Defined Dish.
In this salad:
Arugula, kale, AND brussels sprouts (yes all 3! No you don’t need all 3. Just one variant of greens will do!)
Raw broccoli
Diced bell pepper
Diced cabbage
Roasted and diced sweet potatoes
Salted pumpkin seeds (or pistachios!)
Grilled chicken
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette: (lasts a few salads)
(1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbs lemon, 2tbs dijon, 2 tbs honey, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar)….
I think you could sub sweet potato for avocado for ease but I really love the added flavor of the sweet potato. To cook sweet potatoes, I cut them in half (the long way), rub the outside with olive oil, and lay them face down on a pan and roast for 30ish minutes at 400 (or until a fork goes through). I store them for the week and diced them for salads. The extra we use for dinner sides or creating pancakes for our kids!
Other salad add ins:
Shredded carrot, avocado, sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, beets, corn, squash, etc!
