Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Dressing

10 cups, give or take, of arugula or mixed baby greens
2 cups of roasted sweet potato cubes
¼ to ½ cup of red onion slices
½ cup of mapled pecans, chopped
½ cup of feta cheese, preferably sheep or goat (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the peeled sweet potato into about ½ inch cubes and put in a pan with sides. Spray the top of the sweet potatoes with a olive oil cooking spray then sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss well and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring a few times till pierced easily with a fork. Set aside these little jewels to cool.

Place your greens in your most special salad bowl and toss in the sweet potatoes, and the onion. If you wish to dress the salad before serving, now is the time. Sprinkle the pecans and feta cheese over the salad. Save a few whole pecans halves for the top of the salad for that extra eye candy. Sometimes I place the dressing, mapled pecans and feta cheese in their own bowls next to the salad so folks can add these to their own taste. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Here is the salad dressing we live on all winter. It is so good on every salad but particularly shines in this one.

Maple vinaigrette

¼ cup of home made mayo (there is a recipe under paleo for one)
¼ cup of pure maple syrup
¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
¼ cup of oil, preferably a nut oil, like walnut
1 large shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard (recipe under paleo- because most mustard are not wheat or corn free)
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

Put all the ingredients into the blender and let her rip! Process for about 1 minute till well blended.

These maple pecans are so delicious you will want to make extra or you will eat all of them before you get them to the salad.

Maple Pecans

1 cup of pecan halves
2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans in a small bowl and drizzle the maple syrup over them and mix well till the syrup is hugging all the pecans in a sweet embrace. Put the pecans in a jelly roll pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake about 10 minutes, stirring once, till the maple syrup begins to bubble. Remove from the oven and stir once before they are cool, or they will stick to the pan like you can’t believe.