Winter Chopped Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Blood Orange Vinaigrette.

This is what you do when you’re in search of a winter blues perk up that does not include tequila.

Not that tequila won’t work, but on a Monday at noon it miiiiight not be the best idea.

Or it definitely will be the best idea and just isn’t feasible.

Worst problem ever.

Let’s solve it!

Because I need some major color in my life.

It’s no secret that I’m sort of existing on chocolate chip cookies with some smoothies thrown in and then some pizza and maybe a few loose spinach leaves. And then stale gummy bears and coconut water and apples with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies again. In order to actually eat salads, they need to be downright gorgeous and FUN.

Yes… fun.

I can barely take how much I adore this salad. Yes, the color alone sells me – I mean, it’s probably as close to a neon salad that we are going to get. At least a neon salad that doesn’t kill us.

But there are so many components that make this THEE salad for me. First, it’s chopped. If I could eat all salads chopped for the rest of my life, I’d be good. Well, except for the occasional grilled romaine caesar.

The sweet potato adds enough OOMPH for me to consider this is a meal which is, in itself, huge. The blood oranges are super pretty and of course delicious, even if they cost more than the shoes I bought last week. The pomegranate gives me crunch and texture and POP.

And my must have for chopped salads: crumbly cheese. I often choose feta because of the wonderful tang, but goat or gorgonzola would work too. Since it’s all crumbled, you actually get bites of cheese in pretty much every forkful. It’s like a snowstorm on your salad.

Nothing better.

Can’t forget the blood orange vinaigrette – because it’s sweet but savory and perfect. And pretty! Look at that pink.

If only all foods were pink.

Like broccoli. If broccoli could be pink? My life would be so much easier.

Winter Chopped Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 45 mins

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5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

roasted sweet potato

• 1 large sweet potato, cubed (size is totally up to you – how much do you want to eat?)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 cups baby romaine leaves or spring greens, chopped
• 2 blood oranges, segmented and chopped
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

blood orange vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup blood orange juice
• 1/4 cup golden balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, freshly grated or pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions 

roasted sweet potato

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the sweet potato cubes with the olive oil and maple syrup. In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika, then toss the sweet potatoes with it. Roast for 15 minutes, flip and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more. Use the potato warm or cold – it’s your preference!
• Add the chopped greens to a large bowl and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss the greens with the potato, oranges, arils and feta. Top with the vinaigrette and serve.

blood orange vinaigrette

• Combine orange juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk together. Stream in the olive oil while constantly whisking until the dressing comes together. Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

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I appreciate you so much!

P.S. you should prob pair this with a blood orange marg. P.P.S. I loathe when people shorten words like that too. #monday