Easy Winter Salad
This Easy Winter Salad brings together filling kale, chicken (or turkey) cooked with sage, toasted walnuts, salty creamy goat cheese and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and red onions make this salad delectable any time of year.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 472kcal
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
Calories: 472kcal