Harvest Salads With Maple Almond Butter Vinaigrette

Hello, we did it! We (the royal “We”) got bangs AND cleaned the freaking guts out of our house last week. As you’re reading this I’m probably exiting the shower, wondering if the bangs were a mistake since I have now washed my hair, and have to style them myself. Thoughts and prayers.

I intended last week’s post on fall housecleaning for personal motivation alone, but it turned into several of you joining me in your own fall cleaning spree! I can’t say I’m upset that I had company throughout the week. Cleaning, as always, is drastically more physically and mentally draining than you expected it to be. I ended the week (as I do any tidying-up spree) feeling impressed by and thankful for those among us who work to keep things spotless. It brought back some nice memories, too, of my Grandaddy (of cheese biscuit fame) who was a janitor for many years. My siblings and I helped him at odd hours when the historic church he cleaned was empty and silent and quite spooky. For the price of a pack of Nabs and an R.C. cola (and a crisp $5 bill fresh from the bank), we’d get that church in shipshape and brave the graveyard and raccoons to haul endless heavy trash-bags to the dumpster. I’ve still got it in me, I guess. The house is feeling fresh and fine and ready for October - my very favorite month in the whole entire year! Yesterday, Sunday, I hauled my bin of decorations from the shed and put them up, cornucopia style, on my mantel and here and there about the living room. What do I mean by “cornucopia style?” That’s what I’ve dubbed the crowded abundance of autumn things arranged in no particular way except to give the impression of joyful overflow. (Which is to say, I have too many things and not enough space so they’re all cheek-to-jowl in cozy, seasonal proximity to one another.)

When I polled the community on Instagram this week, a great many of you asked for a savory recipe over a sweet one. I think we are all excited for a return to the flavors of the fall now that we have (mainly) reliably cool weather. I can’t look at a butternut squash in the heat but when I get to pull out a favorite sweater (joy), I start thinking almost automatically about the heavier veg I have been ignoring for months. Today’s recipe is simple, and flexible. A dinner to span the gap between late summer and early fall. It might seem a bit on-the-nose (autumn harvest salad? yay.) but does have some flair to speak of (a homemade maple almond butter vinaigrette). It can be kept vegan (double up on the grains, omit the blue cheese and roast chicken), it can be swapped out due to preferences (if you hate blue cheese you can put in feta, chevre or any other crumbly cheese instead), and if you just so happen to have leftover pork tenderloin, or a nice piece of salmon wanting using, you don’t have to include chicken at all. This is the kind of salad constantly I make for myself and Andrew. Salads can either be a huge disappointment (looking at you, almost any kind of restaurant side-salad), or something moreish and satisfying. The key to this shift is simple: go heavy with the toppings. In other words, you aren’t meant to be eating the rare gem in a lettuce mine, but instead finding bits of lettuce, kale, and arugula peeping out through a glory of excellent bites. Salads made this way are one of my favorite foods, and I trust they can become one of yours too! Plus, let’s be honest: there is nothing prettier than a salad full of the colors of this beautiful season.

Oh, and because some of you might be purists, a note on the vinaigrette: traditionally, vinaigrettes are very simple preparations of oil, vinegar in a specific ratio - typically 3 parts oil to one part vinegar or lemon juice. This vinaigrette, then is untraditional. My recipe calls for equal parts olive oil and cider vinegar. However, the addition of almond butter amps up the recipe’s fat/oil content while lending a nutty, toasted flavor, and the addition of maple sweetens the vinegar’s acidity, evening out the playing field into something that tastes like the familiar French ratio. It is delicious, and I made a double batch to have on hand for second salads later on. Here, then, is the recipe to get you started:

Harvest Salads with Maple Almond Butter Vinaigrette

makes 4 dinner salads

2 large sweet potatoes

olive oil

salt

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups of grains, cooked in chicken or veggie broth (quinoa is a favorite, as well as farro, freekah, or a “harvest blend”)

2 cups of roasted chicken (for salads I do prefer using a rotisserie chicken, as it eliminates a step, but any chicken will do)

4 cups of salad greens (I prefer a hearty blend of baby kale, arugula, and spinach so that if the salad wilts a little, the greens are still tasty)

1 pomegranate, arils removed and reserved

1 tart apple, thinly sliced

1 shallot, thinly sliced and soaked in ice water to mellow

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, ribboned with a vegetable peeler

4 ounces of blue cheese crumbled

Maple Almond Butter Vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

2 Tbs. maple syrup

1 Tbs. almond butter

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

4 Tbs. olive oil

4 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1/2” cubes. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until roasted through and slightly golden.

• When grains are cooked, remove to a small sheet tray or plate and spread in a single layer to cool somewhat. This is helpful in keeping your salad from wilting - no one likes warm cucumbers! Also make sure that your shallot is thinly sliced and resting in ice water - this will somewhat temper the sharpness of the shallots since we are eating them raw in this salad.

• Meanwhile, mix up the vinaigrette in a recycled jam jar or other container. If you have a small electric whisk this process is very quick! The almond butter has a nice, emulsifying effect which keeps the vinaigrette from separating too quickly, which is nice. If the dressing looks a little thin you may add a small bit more almond butter, but I like my vinaigrettes on the thin side so I do not. Taste, and adjust seasoning to preference.

• Now it is time to assemble the salads: arrange greens on the plate first, then top with a hearty scoop of cooked and cooled grains. Add the spiced sweet potatoes next, and carrot ribbons. Give the salads a fluff to incorporate those ingredients, then finish topping with apple slices, shallots (since removed from the ice bath), cucumbers, and chicken. Finish with a lavish scattering of pomegranate arils and blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle over the maple vinaigrette, and serve immediately. These salads are extra nice with a slice of buttered sourdough toast on the side.