It's that time of year! Time for fresh foods and lots of green! I try to maintain that mentality all year, but this winter was enough to drive any girl deep into a bowl of mac 'n cheese. This salad is one of my favorites! Lots of ladies is my family make it, but this is my twist on a fresh yet filling ensalada!
YOU WILL NEED:
- Baby Spinach
- Baby Arugula
- Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Sunflower Seeds
- Craisins
- Lemon
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Parmesan (OPTIONAL)
Now, here's the tricky part. I decided not to give you any measurements here. How dare I right?!
The "correct" way to make this is to go for a 1:1 ratio of greens and sweet potatoes. That version is SO good, but I'm working hard in the gym and in the kitchen to be smart and control my portions, and though sweet potatoes are good, good for you, AND paleo, there're still higher in calories than say, arugula. So in these photos, I used two sweet potatoes for a big bowl of greens. It's enough that you can get a sweet potato cube into every bite, but that you still feel like you're being true to the word "salad".
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel and cube sweet potatoes.
3.Toss cubes in olive oil on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, place under broil until the edges begin to brown.
4. Add as many sunflower seeds and cranberries as you prefer
5. Next mix fresh lemon juice and olive oil. I like a 2:1 ratio here, with two parts lemon to one part olive oil. Also, add salt and pepper to this if you prefer!
6. Once browned, add your sweet potatoes to the salad! Next, pour over your dressing mixture.
7. I love to top this off with a little bit of fresh parm. If you're really behaving, you can absolutely skip it!
ENJOY!
If y'all try it let me know in the comments below! AND if you'd like to see more healthy recipes, I'd love that feedback from you as well!
XO AJ