A staple Fall salad recipe

Every evening as soon as the boys go to bed, my husband asks me to make him a salad. As funny as that sounds, it’s like his comfort food. It’s a routine I love because he loves it. But, my husband doesn’t everrrrr want his salad to be changed up.

Same, basic salad. Every. Single. Night. 😅

That can get boring for a chef who loves a colorful plate! So instead of sharing my fun salad recipes with my husband, I’m going to share them with YOU! If you make this salad, tag me on instagram @JillianTedesco so I can show my husband how much more fun his evening salad could be, hah!

This Fall, HERE is a salad I can’t stop making:

Salad Ingredients:

Sexy greens! (Anything out of the norm, branch out and buy something new to try)
English cucumber, thinly sliced (you don’t want fat chunks, trust me it will feel more elegant. Cut the cucumber lengthwise on the half then thin half moons. Chef tip: Only cut off a 2 inch chunk of the cucumber in the plastic and keep the remaining cucumber in the fridge for later, this helps extend the shelf life)
Roasted med diced sweet potatoes or butternut squash (yes, you need to pre roast this and then store it in a zip lock bag in the fridge. You can eat with different meals and salads throughout the week. I love olive oil, salt and pepper, Roast 350* 20 minutes. You can add cinnamon too)
Roasted pumpkin seeds (buy them pre roasted if you want to save time, unroasted is fine too, but I’m all about layering those flavors)
Feta cheese crumbles (or if you’re like me and dairy hates you, opt for Violife cheese, it seriously has changed my salad game! You can get at whole foods)
For this salad I’m def leaning towards more of a vinaigrette. I also think Caesar would work here too, so choose your favorite and remember, when you pour, you are pouring by the 100’s. I love to use gloves to dress the salad well so I don’t have to use more than 1-2 Tbsp of dressing)
If you want to add protein, any 3-5 oz serving would work. Save time and add fit-flavors bulk chicken.

Dressing Ingredients: If you opt to make your own, layer these ingredients in the mixing bowl in this order

¼ Cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¾ Cup Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Use a Pyrex mixing cup to layer your ingredients. (I love this cause I can double the recipe if need be, it doesn't splash and it has measurements on the cup!)
Layer the all ingredients in order minus the oil
Use an electric whisk (Purchase on Amazon) or use a hand whisk and be ready to go baby. Whisk your first ingredients together.
Slowly pour the olive oil as a light stream into the mixing cup and continually whisk as the oil is going in. The key is to emulsify the oil and vinegar together, You will need to ensure it is coming together smoothly. If not, stop adding oil and whisk till combine and then continue. GO SLOW