The Heartiest Winter Salad
Salad for Lunch is the Best
I eat salad for lunch basically every day. It’s one of my favorite ways to pack in all kinds of colorful veggies, clean out my fridge, and nourish myself with foods that make me feel good. In the winter, I definitely need a heartier salad with some cooked grains and/or veggies to ground me a bit more. Keep reading for one of my go to combos right now.
One of the ways I make lunch prep easy during the week is make extra chicken, shrimp, etc for dinner the night before. Right now, I am loving this Miso Chicken by Sam Sifton for NYT Cooking. The miso, butter, and rice vinegar give it a perfect umami flavor that pairs nicely in a winter salad. I’ve use both bone in/skin on and chicken breast in this recipe depending on what I have in my fridge. The best part about cooking is going with the flow and getting creative with whatever you have on hand.
Scroll down for step by step instructions to build the heartiest winter salad
Start with lettuce
Really anything works but in this instance I did mixed greens. You could also do arugula, spinach, baby gem, or a mix of all of them!
Throw in a handful of fruit
I’ve been doing either pomegranate seeds, pears or blood orange slices because that’s what is in season. But if you don’t have that apples or strawberries would work well too.
Add chopped red onion
I love red onion but a little goes a long way. Pro tip: slice the onion in half and chop one half and leave the other half in tact so you can use it how you want another day (thin slice, chop more, etc). This will save you prep time in the future!
Add a starchy vegetable
I love roasted butternut squash. I could eat it every day in the winter. Whenever I roast some I always do a big batch so I have some in the fridge for salads another day. If you want to save time, buy it pre chopped and then cut the pieces a bit smaller (you’ll have more in each bite of your salad!). To make: toss with olive oil and s/p. Roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes flipping halfway through. I like to do the first 20 minutes on the bottom rack then after I flip them switch to the middle rack so they don’t get too toasty.
Add nuts for crunch
I love a candied nut in a salad. It’s the perfect mix of crunch and sweet. This is my favorite recipe for Candied Walnuts - make a big batch and store them in an airtight container (I love Weck Jars) and you’ll be good for a while.
Add some feta cheese
I love feta because of it’s sweet/salty-ness. It’s also typically made from sheep/goat cheese so it’s much more digestible. I don’t eat a lot of dairy anymore because it can be rather inflammatory but opting for sheep/goat plus if you can find grass fed it actually is a great choice (Mt. Vikos it’s a great!). Often “fake cheese” is loaded with crap ingredients that in my opinion aren’t worth eating.
Add your protein
Adding protein to your salad is how you will stay full, keep your blood sugar stable, and add more flavor/nutrients to it. I love using chicken from the night before to make it quick and easy. My current fav is Sam Sifton’s Miso Chicken.
Add your dressing
I never buy store bought dressings I think because I have PTSD from eating dressings like Heinz as a kid. I always make them and it’s so easy, cheaper, and better for you. What I’ve been using for salads lately I got from Half Baked Harvest:
1 tbsp fig preserves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 balsamic vinegar
Put it all in a jar, shake it up, and store it in your fridge. It’ll keep for a few weeks just fine. I reuse the dressing containers from my Sakara meals to carry portion it out easy for work.
Pack it up and you’re ready to go
I always use glass containers to store my food because they’re better and safer for you. I love these containers because they snap shut and won’t leak.
Enjoy! Drop a comment below with how it turned out for you!
xx, Ashley