I love salads so much whether I am ordering one on my iPhone, sitting down and enjoying one at my favorite restaurant or making them at home. Typically "winter" & "salads" tend to be forgotten in the constant need to make a soup or a stew in the colder months but I've changed that. 

Related Recipe : How To Make The Perfect Quick & Easy Spring Salad

Last year when I was working in Midtown Manhattan, I ordered and ate salads for lunch at least 3 times a week to help keep my winter weight gain at bay.  Even though my wallet hated these salads which were upwards of $20 per bowl, now that I'm WFH, I always joke that I miss spending hundreds of dollars on $20 salads. I’ve been craving my favorite $20 salad so I headed to Trader Joe’s and picked up all the ingredients I needed for a fab bowl.

In colder weather, salads can either be very boring or they don’t fill you up as much like they do in warmer weather. Colder weather means heartier foods to keep us going and one thing I love about my favorite winter salad is that it’s hearty and very filling. I also love that there are no specific quantities here, which means you can make as little or as much as you like and eat it through out the day or for a super filling dinner. You can mix everything all together or layer the toppings on your bed of greens and it’s simply just a great bowl of fab foods.

To start, because this is a cold weather favorite, you want your lettuce to have some substance. I love the power green blend lettuce mixes that have come on the food scene over the last couple of years. Power greens or super greens are typically a mix of hearty nutrient rich lettuces like kale, spinach and chard. The blends vary but I’ve also seen blends with collards, cabbage, arugula and brussel sprouts as well. I also add some sliced red cabbage in for some extra crunch and texture.

Brown rice is another thing I add to my salads to make them fuller and I utilize fruit & root vegetables that are in season like sweet potatoes and apples. Here is where you are building a filling meal versus a simple green salad.

I roast chicken for some protein (use your favorite part of the chicken ! ) and I love salads with dried cranberries so I toss those in to. In this specific recipe I used golden raisins but as always use whatever dried fruit (cranberries or golden raisins) that you have on hand or can find at your local store.

To top this salad off, avocado & crumbled cotija cheese are mixed in. I like the subtle yet slightly sharp flavor cotija cheese brings and of course…who doesn’t love an avocado?!?!

Where this salad differs however is that, it doesn’t have salad dressing on it. I use some quality extra virgin olive oil ( for something like this I like Mediterranean EVOO ) along with sea salt and black pepper. That’s it.

I ate this whole bowl of salad and it was just as good today as it was while I was conquering the hustle of working in Midtown.

My Favorite Winter Salad

Power Blend or Super Bend Greens

Sliced Red Cabbage

Sweet Potato, cubed & roasted

Cooked Brown Rice

Your Favorite Apple, cored & sliced 

Roasted Chicken

Dried Cranberries or Golden Raisins

Avocado, deseeded & sliced

Crumbled Cotija Cheese

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Season and roast your chicken and your sweet potatoes as you normally would .

Core & slice your favorite apple

Peel, seed and slice your avocado

Cook your preferred brown rice ( here I used the frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s )

In a large bowl mix your power greens and sliced red cabbage together. Next add in the remaining toppings and your desired amount of extra virgin olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper to your desired liking.

Plate your salad and eat fab!