Grilled Lemon-Pepper Chicken atop Spring Greens Fruit Salad

This recipe is one that my mom and sister have both been making for years, and the general idea first came from a Byerly’s cookbook. When I was searching for a healthy, delicious recipe to feature in this week’s newsletter, I emailed my sister to ask for it. Neither of us were able to find the recipe verbatim online (that tells you how old it is!), so I just took the general concept and ran with it! And while the raspberry vinaigrette is quite a bit more Pepto Bismal-pink that I remember it being, the meal as a whole was just as beautiful as it’s always been.

Warm Sweet Potato Salad

I love fall. Everything about it makes me happy — sweaters, changing leaves, apple cider, chilly mornings snuggling with my husband and dog. What makes me particularly happy is the return of cooking with fall ingredients. Now, I use sweet potatoes all year round, but in this particular dish, I combine it with cranberries and walnuts for a decidely autumn flavor.

I used bacon to make the dish even more savory and wonderful, but it can be easily omitted for a vegetarian dish.

Warm Sweet Potato Salad
4 sweet potatoes, diced
¾ cup crumbled goat cheese
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) olive oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
¼ cup walnuts (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes in 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread them out on a baking sheet. Roast them for 20 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and place in a medium-sized serving bowl. Add cranberries and chili powder, as well as walnuts and bacon, if using. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the dish and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle goat cheese and fresh oregano on top; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.