Some people don’t think of winter as salad season. But if you’re like me and sick of heavy food for a while, this hearty but fresh salad is just waiting for you to make it.
Filling kale, chicken (or turkey) cooked with sage, toasted walnuts, salty creamy goat cheese, sweet apples and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and red onions make this salad delectable any time of year.
I know lots of people who start the new year off with a goal of eating better – in whatever form that takes for them personally. Whether or not you make new year’s resolutions relating to food, you’ve probably eaten your fill of heavy meals for at least a little while.
Enter this easy winter salad. First and foremost it is SO good. Especially if you serve it with this Simple Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. I would enjoy this salad at any time of year.
Second, it’s super flexible.
If kale isn’t your thing, try it with mixed greens, baby spinach, romaine, whatever you like.
If you have leftover chicken or turkey, this is a great use for it, or you can just leave it out and make it vegetarian!
Don’t have walnuts? Use whatever nuts you have on hand.
Have a stash of pears instead of apples? Still delicious.
In my mind the goat cheese is a keeper, but I REALLY love goat cheese and buy it in bulk at Costco (and freeze it – learn how to freeze goat cheese here!).
Which brings me to my final point: cost.
Depending on where you shop, some of the ingredients in this salad might be expensive. Goat cheese and walnuts spring to mind at first glance. But with a little bit of creativity, they become much more reasonable.
Goat cheese at many grocery stores costs somewhere in the $4-5 range for a small package. At Costco I can get two large packages for $6-7. They stay good for quite a while, but I’ve also discovered that goat cheese freezes and thaws super well. I’ve been known to cut each large log in half, vacuum seal the halves and freeze them until I need them. Then you have regular sized logs, for 1/3 of the price.
Nuts are also a much better buy if you look for them in bulk at Costco or Bulk Barn. Any store selling them in small quantities usually charges much more.
Most of the ingredients for this meal came from my pantry and freezer, and only the kale required a trip to the grocery store (and in the summer I could make it a trip to our garden!).
(PS – check out our posts on Stocking Your Pantry on a Dime , Stocking Your Freezer on a Dime, and Stock Your Fridge on a Dime.)
Really, my goal is to help you eat delicious food without breaking the bank, and also to continue to learn new ways of doing that myself. So stock up on great ingredients and then enjoy this easy winter salad!
Easy Winter Salad – Step-by-Step Instructions
Ingredients for Easy Winter Salad.
Wash your greens and dry them in a salad spinner (ugh – my least favorite kitchen chore!). Cut or tear them into bite sized pieces.
Tip: If you’re using kale I recommend cutting it into extra small pieces (think nickel sized or smaller) because it’s a bit too chewy to be left large.
Tip: If you’re up to it, put your kale in a bowl, add a few tablespoons or oil and spend a few minutes “massaging” the kale. This is optional and I used to think it sounded ridiculous and didn’t do it. Recently I’ve tried it a few times though, and do find it helps with the chewiness of the kale.
In a dry frying pan (no oil), toast your nuts over medium-low heat until they smell nutty and amazing. Stir often – be careful not to burn them! Set them aside in a dish to cool.
Then gather your other ingredients – pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, dried cranberries, sliced red onion, sliced apple. Toss together in your salad bowl or assemble on plates.
Wipe out your frying pan, return it to the heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil and your cut up chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
If you’re using leftover chicken this step won’t take very long, but if you’re using raw chicken you will cook it for a few minutes on each side, until it’s white when you cut open your largest piece.
Add half your chopped sage at the beginning and half near the end.
Add warm chicken to plated salads (so it melts the goat cheese a bit – YUM!). Season your salad with ground pepper and salt (if you want – I do recommend it). Serve with this Simple Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette (highly recommended!).
Enjoy! 🙂
Easy Winter Salad
Ingredients
- 1-2 bunches kale or other fresh green, depending on personal taste
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups chicken or turkey (optional) chopped (can use fresh or leftover)
- 5-10 leaves fresh sage chopped (can use dried, maybe 1/4 tsp)
- 4 tbsp goat cheese around 4 oz, or more to taste, because, YUM.
- slices red onion
Instructions
- Wash your greens and dry them in a salad spinner (ugh - my least favourite kitchen chore!). Cut or tear them into bite sized pieces.*
- In a dry frying pan (no oil), toast your nuts over medium-low heat until they smell nutty and amazing. Stir often - be careful not to burn them! Set them aside in a dish to cool.
- Then gather your other ingredients - pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, dried cranberries, sliced red onion, sliced apple. Toss them together in your salad bowl or assemble on plates.
- Wipe out your frying pan and return it to the heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil and your cut up chicken. Season with salt and pepper. If you're using leftover chicken this step won't take very long, but if you're using raw chicken you will cook it for a few minutes on each side, until it's white when you cut open your largest piece. Add half your chopped sage at the beginning and half near the end.
- Add warm chicken to plated salads (so it melts the goat cheese a bit - YUM!). Season your salad with ground pepper and salt (if you want). Serve with our Simple Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette (highly recommended!). - Link below.
Notes
* If you're using kale I recommend cutting it into extra small pieces (think nickel sized or smaller) because it's a bit too chewy to be left large. Also, if you're up to it, put your kale in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of oil and spend a few minutes "massaging" the kale. This is optional and I used to think it sounded ridiculous and didn't do it. Recently I've tried it a few times though, and do find it helps with the chewiness of the kale.
This Simple Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette is amazing with this winter salad!
Nutrition
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