A Fall Salad You'll Fall in Love With - Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad w/ Feta, Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans & Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette

Are you looking for a fun fall salad that will put you in the "autumn spirit"? ..........

.......... Does it need to be delicious, unique and loaded with great nutition? You probably want it to be drop-dead gorgeous too, right? You're asking quite a bit you know, but .........

.......... guess what? I've got you covered; this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is perfect for your most fancy-dancy guests though your family and friends will be quite smitten with this delightful combination of sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, smoky, fresh and vibrant .................... get ready for rave reviews!

P.S. This would make a fabulous lunch salad on its own or a delicious side with any fall menu. I served it with grilled chicken. I simply marinated the chicken in a bit of the Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette for an hour, then sprinkled it liberally with Lemon Pepper Seasoning. It was a delicious meal. I sliced the leftover chicken and made myself a salad to take to work - I looked forward immensely to my break-time!
One other thing - all of the components of this salad can be made ahead; the sweet potatoes, the dressing, the pecans. Just store separately and put the whole thing together quickly at the last minute for  a fabulous meal!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad w/ Feta, Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans & Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

6-8 ounces salad greens; spring mix, butter lettuce, spinach or whatever looks freshest at the market (I love the artisan lettuces from Costco)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (goat cheese would also be wonderful)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (see recipe below)

Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans (see recipe below)

Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Instructions:

1. Divide salad greens between 4 salad plates.

2. Scatter with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, dried cranberries, Feta cheese and Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans.

3. Drizzle with Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette. Pass extra vinaigrette at the table.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with the oil, then  toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

3. Roast, turning occasionally, until just tender and starting to turn golden, about 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool while preparing salad.

Note:

You'll have lots of extra sweet potatoes, but if you're heating your oven you might as well make the whole batch. They're great as a side on their own, in omelets, on pizzas, in sandwiches, etc. You'll probably only use about ¼ of these for the four salads.

Honey-Cumin Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablesoons rice vinegar

2 tablesoons lime juice

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well.

Sea-Salted-Roasted Pecans

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

2 teaspoons butter

1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Place butter on baking sheet and place in oven for 2-3 minutes or until butter is melted. Remove from oven.

3. Place pecans on sheet with melted butter and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with sea salt.

4. Return pan to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven when pecans are deep golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet.

PRINTABLE RECIPE