Anyone else besides me want to admit to a little over indulgence on Thanksgiving yesterday? That means today is probably a good day to have a salad. And just because we’re having a salad doesn’t mean it’s not going to be tasty – trust me there will be no feeling of sacrifice. We’re even going to use some Thanksgiving leftovers. I bet you have some leftover turkey and maybe even some leftover pumpkin puree from baking that pumpkin pie (and as much as I think fresh is better, I’ll let you get away with using what’s left in that can). This salad is hearty and filling, tastes like fall, and is the perfect antidote to Thanksgiving’s gluttony.
The salad combines, chicken (or in in this case leftover turkey), apples, red peppers, onions, feta cheese, and even home roasted pumpkin seeds with a fresh pumpkin vinaigrette. It’s one of those salads that I just couldn’t get enough of and doesn’t feel like you’re eating healthy when you eat it.
Here’s what you need:
I used leftover rotisserie chicken when I took the pictures, but leftover turkey would be perfect in this and fits better into our Thanksgiving theme.
You’re going to start by making the dressing. The inspiration for the dressing came from this blog. Here’s what you need for that:
Combine all the dressing ingredients into a small blender cup and blend until it’s emulsified. That means it’s going to look ‘creamy’. If you don’t have a small blender like this you could use an immersion blender or a whisk and whisk until it feels like you’ve gotten a good workout, then whisk some more. Feel free to taste and adjust any of the ingredients, I added a little more maple syrup the second time I made this.
The dressing will keep for at least a week. I only know that because I made it before deer season to have out at deer camp – usually when I make it, it doesn’t last that long.
To serve the salad, add to your bowl chopped romaine, red pepper, red onion, sliced honey crisp apples, roasted pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, and plenty of the fresh vinaigrette.
Toss everything together. Enjoy!
- Vinaigrette:
- ¼ c pumpkin puree
- ¼ c apple cider vinegar
- 2 T maple syrup
- 1 t Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced (roughly if using a blender)
- ½ t salt
- ⅛ t pepper
- ½ extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ t thyme
- 1 T water, as needed to thin
- Salad:
- Romaine
- Red pepper, sliced into strips
- Red onion, sliced into strips
- Honey crisp apple, sliced into chunks
- Honey roasted pumpkin seeds
- Feta cheese
- Make the vinaigrette by blending all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small blender. You can also use an immersion blender or whisk everything together (if you whisk the dressing I recommend grating the garlic). The dressing will emulsify and become a little creamy.
- Toss the dressing with all the salad ingredients.
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