Fall is officially here, and after last weekend in Philadelphia…I definitely miss my favorite time of year now more than ever! The clothes, the smells, the anticipation of the holidays. October-Novemeber are without a doubt my two favorite months of the year. You can listen to football, burn pumpkin candles and drink pumpkin lattes to your hearts content. It’s ‘basic’ I know, but I love it. In Florida, the humidity is finally leaving, but the temps remain in the 80’s. After Cory and I got home from our fun-filled weekend away, we could not think of eating anything, but a salad! So I wanted to make a fall dinner salad that is both satisfying and good for your waistline.
With all of this talk about processed meat being linked to cancer…I now will be uber diligent about the type of meat Cory and I eat. We love a good charcuterie platter, and my man is from Ohio, so bratwerst basically runs through his veins. I found all natural, preservative free, organic, maple-apple chicken sausage, and decided that would be the base of a perfect fall salad. If it was me, I could eat a veggie only salad, but my hubby needs his meat, and I cannot argue with that.
Ingredients:
2 Cups of Greens Per Person (I used spinach and field greens mix)
1 Package Turkey or Chicken Sausage
1 Large Yellow Onion
1-2 Tbs Grass fed butter
1 Tbs Organic Maple Syrup
Portobello mushroom
1 Peeled Sweet Potato Cubed
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Quinoa With Spices (Pepper, Red Pepper, Fennel Seed, Rosemary)
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds or Nuts of Your Choice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Add butter to pan and melt, add onion and let it cook down over medium-high heat. For quinoa, splash olive oil in a pot, add quinoa and mix. Add water, fennel seed, rosemary and both peppers to the quinoa, and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let simmer, covered, for 12 minutes.
When the onion is soft add maple syrup and turn heat to low and let onion cook down. Place cubed sweet potato on a tray drizzle with olive oil and cinnamon. Bake 20-30 minutes. Slice mushrooms, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and rosemary and bake until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
After onions start to caramelize, turn heat up, and add sliced chicken sausage to the pan and cook through. When chicken in warmed through add a splash of chicken stock or white cooking wine to de-glaze the pan, and cook until liquid reduces. Meanwhile roast sunflower seeds or pecans in a pan.
Add the greens to a serving plate, and dress in olive oil and balsamic glaze. Top with sweet potato, onion/sausage mixture, quinoa, mushrooms and seeds…lightly toss and MANGIA!
What are your favorite fall salad toppers?
