The main issue with salads is that once the weather gets colder; our bodies just naturally start craving warm and comforting foods. Raw lettuce and cold cut up veggies just don’t sound that appealing during winter, but here’s an easy fix that will bring back the salad on your dinner table with a newfound glory. It’s simple, just use seasonal ingredients and if possible, add a warm element. Leafy greens are seasonal all year around and winter is definitely not the time to be skipping on them, what with all the colds and bacteria just roaming around. Start with a base of any leafy greens you like and build up with roasted veggies or fruits, creamy cheese, and savory nuts and seeds.

This mouthwatering arugula salad with roasted cranberries and soft goat cheese is a great recipe combining different flavors in one delicious bite. Roasting the cranberries with a touch of orange makes them sweet and juicy – a perfect addition to the peppery arugula. In the end, everything gets finished off with a tangy balsamic dressing to round up all of the flavors.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 large orange
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• ¼ cup shelled pistachios (or hemp seeds)
• 4 cups baby arugula (or thinly sliced regular arugula)
• 8 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange the cranberries on a rimmed baking sheet. Zest the orange and squeeze out all of the juice. Mix the zest and juice with the cranberries and nestle in the cinnamon sticks. Roast the cranberries until they soften up and start to burst, around 10-15 minutes.
3. While the cranberries are roasting, place the pistachios in a small Ziploc bag and whack them with a large wooden spoon or a rolling pin until they break into little pieces. Set aside.
4. Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and top with goat cheese, roasted cranberries, and ground pistachios.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, and a fat pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 351
Fat: 22.6g
Protein: 13.9g
Carbs: 18.8g