Holiday Salad with Roasted Grapes

I made this holiday salad for Thanksgiving this year. It was just delicious. The roasted sweet potatoes, hearty kale, and sweet pomegranate seeds definitely showcase the fall flavors, but it's the addition of the roasted grapes that takes this salad to another level of yum.  Serve this salad for any special occasion this season and everyone who eats it will be very happy you did. All the extra steps are entirely worth the finished dish. 

This is a large salad and makes enough for at least 8 people, maybe more, depending on your serving size. 

Enjoy! 

Salad Ingredients:

2 cups seedless red grapes, sliced in half

Large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Olive oil and salt & pepper for roasting

2 heads of romaine, cleaned and chopped

5 kale leaves, stems removed, sliced thin

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup farro, cooked

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar

1 Tbl lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbl honey

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

There are three different ingredients you will be roasting for this salad. So if you have a double oven turn both ovens on to save yourself a little time. Get out three sheet pans, line with parchment or foil, and get your olive oil, salt and pepper ready. Let's start with the grapes! 

Slice grapes in half and place on lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (and I do mean a pinch - maybe 1/4 tsp). Use hands to toss and spread spread grapes evenly on pan. Roast for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let grapes cool. If desired, pinch skins off the grapes once cooled. 

Toss peeled and cubed sweet potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, about 2 tsp. on a lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Check on potatoes and give them a couple of turns with a spoon. Roast for another 10 minutes, check on them again and toss. Continue to cook for 5 minutes at a time until potatoes are crispy and to your taste. Less time for softer potatoes and more time for crispier potatoes. Let potatoes cool completely before adding to the salad. 

Finally, let's roast the chickpeas. Evenly spread the chickpeas on the lined cookie sheet. Toss with 2 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast chickpeas for 18-22 minutes until desired crispness. Let cool before adding to salad. 

Cook farro according to directions on box. If you don't have farro you can substitute quinoa or brown rice. Let cool before adding to salad.  

To make dressing add all dressing ingredients to a blender and mix until combined. Taste dressing. If you think it needs more salt, add a bit of salt....if you think it needs to be sweeter, add a little more honey. Not enough acidic bite? Add a splash more lemon juice or vinegar. This is your dressing....make it to your taste. 

To assemble the salad add chopped romaine, thinly sliced kale, roasted chickpeas, roasted sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds, and farro to a large salad bowl. Toss. Gingerly sprinkle the roasted grapes on top. Dress salad. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve and enjoy!