A Salad for the Whole Family
My kids like BASIC food. Which is fine. BUT I like complexity. This salad is both. So it’s a WIN on the table…for most of us.
Ingredients
bone in skin on chicken thighs (enough to feed your family and then some
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 head endive
1 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup honey, divided
cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
juice from 1 lemon
4 tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1/4 cup EVOO + 2 tbs
Instructions
Turn on oven to 375 degrees.
On a parchment lined baking sheet toss together walnuts, pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup honey and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (this is really up to you how much heat you want to bring. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Stir once at the halfway mark. Remove and let sit. Once cool break apart. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt (both sides) and place on a large rimmed baking sheet skin side down. Place in the oven for roughly 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the chicken over so the skin is now on top. Place back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
While chicken is cooking, heat 2 tbs EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced sweet potatoes. Cover for approximately 5 minutes. This allows them to steam slightly. Remove lid and stir. Continue to stir periodically until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with salt and keep warm.
While potatoes are cooking, in a jar (I used a pint sized mason jar), add the minced garlic, dijon mustard, 1/4 cup honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup EVOO, and salt and pepper to taste. SHAKE WELL until ingredients are combined. Set aside.
Chop the endive into large pieces.
We serve family style so our table has the chicken on a platter, sweet potatoes in a bowl, endive in a large bowl, nuts in a bowl, and dressing in a jar. For the kids I also added some fruit and cucumbers to the table. From there, I let everyone assemble their own salads using the endive as the base. (Kids ate it all individually and they did not eat the endive. It’s ok! Baby steps!)
ENJOY!
Although the cook time is roughly an hour (you can wash some dishes in there too!) this meal is incredibly easy and it’s got a great variety of nutrients and the flavor is UNBEATABLE!
