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I like dinner salads to be substantial,
with the lettuce being just one of many ingredients, not the whole of it. This salad is perfect for that and covers all the
bases: equal parts protein, cheese, dried
fruit, chewy grain, roasted vegetable, toasted nuts, and lettuce—any combination
of your favorites will do. Sometimes I
use chicken and squash, other times flaky tuna and tomatoes, or beef and
asparagus. Sometimes Arugula, other times Kale or romaine. Use what you like and switch it up, you can’t
go wrong 😊
(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)
The amount of ingredients depends on how big you want your salad, you decide
This is a quick, weeknight meal
if you let the grocery store help you:
cubed butternut squash (I buy
it already cut up in the produce section)
½ cup (when dried) cooked
barley (would also be good with couscous, quinoa, or farro)
walnuts
dried cranberries
cooked chicken, shredded (a
rotisserie chicken from the deli is perfect here)
arugula (I buy it triple
washed and ready to use)
swiss cheese, cubed
vinaigrette
olive oil
red wine vinegar
(maybe) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt/pepper
- Cook your barley according to package directions and set aside to
cool slightly.
- Make your vinaigrette: I like ¼ cup vinegar, 1/8 cup oil, and a teaspoon of mustard. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix.
When the barley is cooling,
add a few teaspoons of the vinaigrette and mix, so it soaks up some of the flavor.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out your squash on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Mix with hands to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast in oven. In the last 7 minutes of cooking, add the walnuts
to the pan to toast.
