Warming, Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad (Plus an Apple Cider Vinaigrette)

Perfect For Those Crisp Autumn Afternoons

 

Sprinkled with walnut pieces and dried cranberries, drizzled with a sweet vinaigrette and seasoned with mixed herbs, this is a salad that I actually enjoyed eating!

Salad. a controversial topic within the world of trying to eat healthily. Especially when it's ordered off of a restaurant menu be it from the slightly suave Jamie's Italian or the obscenely birthday-song obsessed Frankie and Benny's.

'What's so controversial about salad? Salad is well, salad right?'

Well my golden delicious apples, allow me to explain a few of the issues I have with this often sought-after dish and in turn why I rarely ever order one when eating out. 

Disclaimer: Despite what you are about to read, I actually do enjoy eating salad to an extent and am in no way a lettuce-basher. Please don't be offended if you love the green stuff and its part of your daily lifestyle. That being said, here's my deal with salad:

1. It's salad and by this I mean that on it's own (i.e. leaf format) it just doesn't fill me up. Now don't get me wrong, when dressed in the right way salad can be a wholesome, filling and delicious meal but you have to add a fair bit of extras to the dish to get to this stage. Of course everyone is different and when I watch those 'what I eat in a day' videos on Youtube in which a lot of people seem to live off of salad leaves, whilst it confuses me as to how these people are still alive it is also true that appetite varies person to person. However, for me a handful of spinach will fill me for at most... never. 
2. It's probably no surprise that salads in restaurants are usually not very good for you. They sadly often come drenched in calorie laden dressings and even if its a nutrient dense option such as olive oil - usually too much is used and your light dinner suddenly becomes fattier than a plate of fish and chips. Even the meats used to accompany restaurant salads are often cooked with copious amounts of oil. So, that lean chicken breast won't save you.
3. However, if you try to bypass the dressing/condiments, salad tastes like salad. Not great.
4. Shop-bought salads are even worse as to preserve them manufacturers pump them full of salt and sugar. Plus, they also tend to look like a lettuce was involved in a car accident with some questionable chicken which ended with both parties drowning in a nearby lake of mayonnaise. 
5. When I'm eating out, it's usually a treat and when I want a treat, I want a TREAT. If i'm about to consume a whole day's worth of calories in a single sitting then I (personally) don't want about 500-1000 of those to be wasted on a salad.

As a result I only ever order salad at a restaurant if:
A) I've already eaten a lot of junk that week and am attempting to feel like i'm still in control *cries into dressing*.
B) If i'm only eating a light meal/I actually fancy one (rare but not unheard of).     

When travelling around Europe I actually ate quite a few salads due to the fact that a large part of my diet consisted of Italian pizza, Hungarian dumplings and croissants - all the croissants, therefore I felt more obliged to.

However, this isn't the case for this hearty, seasonal salad recipe! It's a meal that I can actually eat on its own-some and enjoy every bite without feeling like i'm eating something I don't enjoy just to be healthy. It ticks all the boxes for me as to what makes a salad enjoyable - a good variety of textures from additions like nuts and dried fruit, a mouthwatering but not over-powering dressing to prevent a dry/bland taste and a good helping of complex carbs and protein to help me feel satiated. Crammed full of festive and nutritious ingredients, this dish is proof that salad can be both delicious and good for you at the same time. Despite best enjoyed warm, I would also recommend making this recipe in large batches and using it throughout the week as a work-friendly, portable lunch option. Just remember to keep the dressing in a separate container to prevent the leaves getting soggy, because soggy leaves - just don't even go there. 

Ingredients:

1 x small sweet potato

1 x chicken breast

Some cooking spray/1 tsp olive oil

As many spinach leaves as you desire

As much chopped lettuce as you heart demands

1-2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1-2 tbsp dried cranberries 

1/2 tsp garlic granules

1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs/Italian seasoning
Optional: salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey

Instructions:

Preheat the oven (I used a fan setting) to 180 degrees Celsius.
Chop the sweet potato into cube-like shapes and spray with cooking spray or brush with oil. Place in the oven for 15 minutes,
After this, season the chicken with the garlic granules and herbs if desired and place in the oven for 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes has passed, remove everything from the oven and flip over before putting it all back in for a final 12 minutes.
Assemble the salad leaves on a plate and make the vinaigrette by simply mixing all the ingredients together in a shallow dish.
Ensure the chicken is cooked all the way through before serving on top of the leaves along with the potatoes.
Sprinkle the chopped walnuts and dried cranberries on top along with any additional seasoning and finally drizzle over your apple cider vinaigrette.
Feel all festive and pretend you're having some sort of thanks-giving lunch before dismembering your salad with a knife and fork (teeth also required).
This recipe serves one... only one.

Tips when ordering salad at a restaurant if it's your go-to:

• Be dressing wise - If you really enjoy a Caesar salad dressing and it's a rare occasion treat, go for it. Just be aware that a typical Caesar dressing can have 8g of fat per tbsp. That's over 10% of the average person's Daily Recommended Intake. Ask for your dressing on the side to remain in control of how much you actually consume. 
• Don't be frightened of the healthy fats - olive oil dressings are good for you (and can help with the absorption of nutrients from superfoods like kale) - again just ask for them on the side.
• Be aware of what's actually in your salad - Is the only greenery present a few sad pieces of lettuce peeking out from beneath a pile of fried chicken? If so then the point of the salad's existence should probably come into question. Or maybe it's piled high with hemp seeds, goats cheese, pine nuts, avocado and kippers. Whilst these are all good, wholesome ingredients all are still high in fat - the key is moderation. 
• Don't be afraid to ask for your salad to be prepared the way you want it. If you want less bacon and more avocado, just ask. Most restaurants will be more than happy to adjust food for the customer's preference and for the few that don't, just sue them for negligence.

So there you go, a little bit of a rant today about salad of all things to go on about. As if Sundays weren't boring enough already. ;)