Spring Salad with Yams

I don't have a very distinct eating schedule.  Some days I have an early lunch and dinner, and some days I don't get to have lunch till nearly 3 p.m., and am not hungry for dinner until at least 9.  Because of this inconsistent eating schedule, I have a hard time getting in all of the vegetables and fruit that I need to in a day.  Usually I eat something like soup for lunch and say that I will have a salad for dinner later, but that usually doesn't happen because salads take extra effort to make than heating up leftovers do.  So in order to change that pattern and get more greens in for the day, I have started making salads every day for lunch.  Each week when I go grocery shopping I think of the "featured salad of the week" that I want.  Last week was a nutritarian taco salad with chopped romaine, black beans, mushrooms, green onions, tomato, and bell peppers with guacamole and salsa.  This week, I was craving something more unique for my "featured salad," so I combined some unique ingredients to make a delicious Spring greens salad with yams, gorgonzola cheese, and a grainy mustard vinaigrette. 

As a side note, it has been snowing so much in Pullman!  We had our first snow day we've had in years on Thursday.  This is one of three or four snow days we've had since Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980.  Needless to day, it has been cold and nasty, so Kevin and I have been staying in and watching movies and TV.  On top of relaxing, I've gotten a lot of chores and cleaning done.  It's been so nice :)

Spring Salad with Yams

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 c mixed spring greens

several baby carrots thinly sliced

desired amount of red onion, thinly sliced

2 T parsley, finely chopped

frozen edamame

crumbled vegan gorgonzola-like cheese

1 large yam, peeled and cut 1/2 inch thick

Mustard Vinaigrette:

2 T grainy mustard

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 T fruity vinegar

1/2 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk till combined.  Prepare frozen edamame as directed by package, and allow to cool.  In a large bowl, toss together the spring greens, carrots, red onion, and 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the mustard vinaigrette.  Set aside.  Heat a medium sized skillet and spray with non-stick spray, or use a misto.  Place the sliced yams in the skillet and cover with a lid while each side fries for several minutes, until each side is slightly charred.  Then, while keeping the heat high, add water, 1/4 cup at a time.  The water will quickly boil and steam to cook the yams.  Keep the lid on while the water is boiling off, and keep adding water as needed.  Fry the yams until they can be easily pierced with a fork.  Remove skillet from heat, and while the yams are still hot and sprinkle with gorgonzola cheese and the chopped parsley.  Serve the salad on a large plate sprinkled with gorgonzola cheese, with one cup of the cooled edamame on one side and a few slices of yams with gorgonzola on the other.  Enjoy!

Amy's Notes:  I just threw together the ingredients for the vinaigrette, so don't feel like you have to stick exactly to my recipe, just add whatever you like and adjust it to your taste.  The oil in the dressing can easily be left out, so feel free to do so.  For this recipe I had frozen edamame from Trader Joe's, which I boiled for four minutes, strained, and ran under cold water to cool.  As pictured, I prepared my yams in a skillet, but they can easily be baked instead.  Also, if you are not a fan of gorgonzola, feta or even parmesan can replace it, or cheese can be completely omitted.

If you got a snow day, what would you do with it?