Summer days call for summer salads, don’t you agree?
This time of year I want my salad to be a meal in a bowl. It should have an abundance of vegetables and protein to give me enough energy to enjoy Seattle’s sunny weather after a long day at work.
Roasted sweet potatoes or yams (choose yams if you are watching sugars and want a veggie lower on the glycemic index) have become one of my best-loved salad ingredients. If cooked to just tender, they add a sweetness and texture that I find appealing.
Kale is big these days when it comes to being a nutrition powerhouse, so I’ve added tender leaves of baby kale to this salad recipe, along with fresh bell pepper and tomatoes. Chicken and chickpeas round out my requirement for protein.
Dressed with a light and lemony vinaigrette, I’m happy with my meal in a bowl.
I have to admit, this chicken salad had a higher calorie count than I’d anticipated. Us weight watching folks could benefit from keeping either the chickpeas or the chicken to reduce the calorie load.
But don’t skip those sweet potatoes! They make this salad something special.
~Kristi
PrintServing Size: 2 large bowls, or 4 side salads
Shake It Up! Skip the chicken to make this a meat free meal.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 small lemon zest
- ½ medium lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup tomato , chopped
- 2 cups baby kale
- ½ cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
- ½ cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Toss sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of salt and spread over cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then stir. Roast another 10 - 15 minutes until tender. Remove and cool.
- Combine lemon zest, lemon, oregano, garlic, Dijon, olive oil and honey in a small bowl or jar and mix well.
- Place baby kale, cooled sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, and chicken in a bowl. Toss with dressing and sprinkle with feta cheese.
Notes
Food energy: 544kcal Saturated fatty acids: 8.42g Monounsaturated fatty acids: 12.75g Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 2.90g Total fat: 24.08g Calories from fat: 216 Cholesterol: 92mg Carbohydrate, by difference: 47.38g Total dietary fiber: 9.50g Protein: 35.15g Total lipid (fat): 25.67g Water: 385.53g Ash: 6.39g Total sugars: 11.77g Calcium: 371mg Iron: 4.57mg Magnesium: 105mg Phosphorus: 451mg Potassium: 1217mg Sodium: 747mg
2.5http://motherrimmy.com/recipe-sweet-potato-kale-chicken-and-chickpea-salad-bowl-with-lemon-vinaigrette/Mother Rimmy�s Cooking Light Done Right by Kristin A. Rimkus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.