The Coziest Fall Salad
Coziness in a bowl
Is how I’d describe this salad. I will preface that this takes a bit of preparation and planning in advance. But once you do the work, the pay off will be for days I promise! You could definitely hack this a bit and buy store bought candied nuts and breaded/prepared chicken. But the recipes I’ve linked are quick, easy and have better ingredients than anything you could find at the store. Roasting veggies for salads in advance is a great time saving hack as well! Keep reading for all you need to know in putting this salad together!
This is for 2 large salads however if you make the nuts and chicken that I suggest, you’ll have more than that leftover. You can eat this all week long or repurpose as you feel inspired.
Ingredients:
Salad:
Whole delicata squash, cut in half, seeds scooped out and sliced into 1/2” pieces
10 baby tomatoes sliced
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 apple sliced into thin pieces
2oz cheddar cubed (go for grass fed, raw milk if you can find!)
Candied nuts - I love this recipe and keep them on hand all fall/winter
Greens of choice - my favorites are mixed greens or arugula
Sliced chicken. You could easily do roasted/grilled chicken to make this fast and easy. If you’d like something a little heartier and cozy feeling, check out this recipe for pretzel crusted chicken. It’s a fan favorite in our house and I make almost weekly because it’s perfect for packed lunches.
Avocado oil
Dressing:
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tbsp dijon mustard
1tsp hot honey (I love Mike’s Hot Honey but if you don’t have you could add a pinch of cayenne pepper instead)
Salt and pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss delicata squash with avocado oil and salt/pepper.
Evenly spread them out on a baking sheet (use 2 if you need) this way they’re not too close together - this will help them roast evenly and not “steam” instead.
Roast for 30-35 minutes on the bottom rack. Flip them half way to make sure they roast evenly. Take out and let cool.
Prepare nuts as per this recipe if you’re using.
Prepare chicken per this recipe or as you’d like. Slice it into pieces to plate on top of salad.
Chop other ingredients while everything else is cooking.
Prepare dressing.
Place everything in a bowl - I love sprinkling the ingredients around so it looks appealing and you get lots of flavor in each bite. Drizzle with dressing, and add chicken last.
Enjoy!!
A few things to note: This is a great Sunday lunch recipe because you’ll have the time to make each part and then use it all week long - store each prepped part in their own container. If you’re meal prepping this for lunches, I always find that they seem to taste the best when put together the morning of. But do what works best for you! The nuts will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container. The chicken, squash and dressing for 3-4 days in an airtight container as well.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. It’s so fulfilling and delicious! If you make it be sure to tag me on Instagram @AshleyPattenPilates and/or comment below!
Xx, Ashley