The Salad That Eats Like a Meal: Roasted Carrots Meet Chicken

Spring time is here, and that generally means salad time in our house. A salad can come together quickly, and you can make it a complete meal filled with fresh veggies, protein, and a good dressing. Yet, some salads can get a little, well, boring. Boring meals can lead to adding processed foods, sugar, and other undesirables into the diet. In fact, the difference between keeping healthy habits and veering off in the other direction often comes down to keeping the habit interesting and simple.

A Whole Meal - Keep it simple, interesting, and delicious too. Yes please!

One of our favorite ways to increase interest in a salad is by letting roasted carrots meet chicken and laying them on a bed of greens. It's an easy way to change a salad profile while keeping it full of all those wonderful vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that support a healthy body.

Roasting carrots is simple!

Carrots are full of fiber, vitamin K1, potassium (an electrolyte that eases muscle cramping, aids in muscle contraction including the heart, and nerve signaling), B6 (prevents anemia, improves mood and protects your heart), Biotin (supports hair and nails), Lutein (great for your eyes), and Lycopene (reduces free-radical damage, delays the formation of cataracts and reduces your risk of macular degeneration, and protects the skin from UV damage).

Roasted Carrot Meets Chicken turns a simple salad into a delicious meal

Ingredients for roasted carrots:

• 1 pound carrots (assorted colors or just orange ones) cut into ½ inch pieces

• ½ tsp ground mustard

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Cut carrots in the 1/2" pieces. Blend mustard, red pepper flakes, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil together. Now coat the carrots with the spiced olive oil.

Spread the carrots into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with natural wax or parchment paper and roast for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While the carrots are roasting:

Rest of Ingredients:

• 2 avocados, pitted and cut into chunks

• 4 thighs or 2 breasts of Chicken cooked and cubed

• 3 cups of arugula or salad greens

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 lime or lemon, juiced

• 1/4 cup sliced black olives

Roasted carrots and chicken on a bed of arugula...so fresh and yummy!

Finish by

1. Add into a large bowl, the chicken cubes, avocado chunks, black olives, and arugula or salad greens and warm carrots.

2. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lime juice and toss to coat.

3. Divide the salad between serving plates, serve, and enjoy nutritious and delicious eating!

Okay, so you've made this a couple of times and you like it, but want can ya do to change it up a bit?

Instead of mustard and red pepper flakes, coat the carrots with:

• 1/2 tsp of rosemary and a 1/2 tsp sage and instead of adding black olives, add in red onion slices.

  OR

• 1/2 tsp of group cumin and 1/2 tsp chili pepper and instead of adding black olives, add in diced sweet pepper.

  OR

• Instead of just carrots, roast 1-2 parsnips and reduce the carrots by 1-2 and follow the rest of the recipe.

Simple and interesting does not have to be filled with processed or sugar laden ingredients. And you can roast extra carrots to reheat and have for another meal later. This is also a great way to use left over chicken. Healthy and tasty - Enjoy!

Want some other nutritious and delicious recipes? Check out this Brussel sprout  recipe, this roasted cabbage recipe, and this beet salad recipe.

Kathi loves cooking healthy meals for family and friends. She also loves making healthy and delicious meals that are simple so that she can do all the fun things she likes doing instead of being cooped up in a kitchen.

Kathi