Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

A recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing has been sitting in my “inspiration” folder for quite awhile now. The rainy and chilly weekend called out for a warm salad and the idea of roasted sweet potatoes and a bacon dressing sounded cozy and delicious so I tried it out. There are a lot of flavors in this recipe but they harmonize really well.

The original recipe just serves the roasted vegetables over a bed of baby spinach. I decided to mix it all together so that the spinach wilts and everything is incorporated together and I really like it that way. I even ate leftovers warm; I just popped it into the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds, just enough to take the chill off but not enough to heat it completely. I used cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar but I’m not sure it really makes that much of a difference. This is my ever-so-slightly changed version.


Roasted Sweet Potato Salad (4 to 6 servings)

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 2 large onions
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tsbp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. plus extra to tasted freshly ground black pepper
• 4 oz. bacon
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. orange juice (about ½ an orange)
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 6 oz. baby spinach

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel and cut onions in eight pieces. Toss the sweet potatoes and onions with olive oil, garlic, and ½ tsp. pepper. Arrange sweet potatoes and onions on a lightly oiled, aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 40-45 minutes until the vegetables are tender and lightly brown.
3. Cook bacon slices in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tbsp. drippings in the skillet. Add the vinegar, orange juice, honey, and pepper to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring until thoroughly heated. Crumble the bacon and stir it into the dressing.
4. Put the spinach in a large bowl. Add the roasted sweet potatoes and onions. Pour the bacon dressing over the top and stir gently to combine until the spinach wilts.

Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad; it’s so versatile. So easy to make and there almost endless variations. This time I made a honey-mustard chicken salad with almonds and tomatoes. Often, honey-mustard recipes go too heavy on both the honey and mustard for an overpowering combination of too sharp and too sweet. Here the honey and mustard are subtle; you can taste them but you can also taste the chicken itself. The toasted almonds add a nice crunch that complements the other flavors.


Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad (6 servings)

• 2 oz. sliced almonds
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. whole grain mustard
• 2 tsp. honey
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Put the almond slices in a small skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and cool.
2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, honey, and pepper.
3. Put the chicken, tomatoes, and almonds in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and mix gently to combine.
4. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Roasted Red Cabbage

A recipe for barley and beef soup from Cooking Light magazine caught my fancy this weekend. But I’ve been craving vegetables and wanted to add a side dish. Usually when this happens I gravitate toward green veggies but the red cabbage looked amazing at the store. It’s deep purple color looked luscious. I wanted to try something different, so I roasted the red cabbage, which worked really well. The outer leaves get crispy, the cabbage is cooked but still has a nice crunch, and the flavor is wonderful. The nutty sweetness of the cabbage complemented the beefiness of the soup and my craving was satisfied.


Roasted Red Cabbage (4 servings)

• 1 head red cabbage
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch slices then cut each slice in half, leaving the core intact. Place the cabbage on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast 10-12 minutes. Turn the cabbage and roast another 10-12 minutes.