Serves 2
Try planning ahead and make a few extra chicken breasts from a dinner earlier in the week to have as a springboard for a salad with veggies. This combo is clean, filling and super delicious! It tastes great as is or try drizzling on some homemade cashew cream dressing. YUM!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
- 1 cup sun chokes, sliced
- ¼ cup sun gold tomatoes
- 4 cups mixed field greens
- ¼ cup dry roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 avocado cubed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 tbsp. dried cranberries
- 5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 oz.)
For the cashew cream dressing: (optional)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup filtered water
- 1-2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
For the salad:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss brussels sprouts, squash and sunchokes with 2-3 tbsp. of oil and spread on baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes until just turning golden brown, tossing halfway during baking time. Brussels may cook faster than other veggies so be sure to check oven regularly after 20 minutes and remove any that are browned enough. When veggies are done, remove from oven and set aside.
- If you don’t have already cooked chicken breasts, while veggies are cooking place chicken breasts into saucepan and pour in enough water to cover them. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, and simmer until chicken meat is no longer pink, about 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a bowl. Let cool for a few minutes, then shred the chicken meat with 2 forks.
- To assemble the salad, add mixed field greens to a large bowl.
- Add roasted vegetables, tomatoes, avocado, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, chives, dill. Add 1-2 more tablespoons olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Toss salad. Add shredded chicken. Toss, season with salt and pepper. Serve or drizzle with cashew cream and serve! (I love it with cashew cream but I didn’t have any left that night)
For the cashew cream: (not pictured but so yummy for this salad)
- Place cashews in a bowl and fill with filtered water at least an inch above the cashews.
- Allow cashews to soak for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Rinse cashews and place in blender with vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper and ½ cup of filtered water.
- Blend on high until creamy or desired consistency, adding more water as required to get very smooth. Set aside.