Winter Vegetable Salads
There is no reason why you can’t still eat light this winter in between bites of holiday cookies. (Right?) Personally, when I get home from a long day out in the cold, I want something roasting not only to warm up my kitchen a bit, but to really warm up my meals without adding a ton of calories. 
To save time and energy, I frequently buy certain vegetables pre-chopped which is easy to find in many grocery stores now. Items I pick up are things like fresh chopped carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, squash of many kinds, onions and other winter root vegetables like turnips, rutabaga and parsnips.
Winter is a great time to really eat all that you can still from varieties of colors of produce and greens like spinach and kale. These lettuces can be dressed up with great vinaigrettes to just about eliminate any bitterness. You will get all of the amazing vitamins like A, K, and C which all help with your eyes, your skin and your bones. There is some protein in kale as well as potassium, calcium and folate. 
As a person who is training herself to eat with a purpose, these are excellent reasons to dress up the good stuff without a lot of fuss.
In order to make this simple, find a low calorie dressing you like or make your own with my simple recipes here.
Another simple trick is to buy a bag of salad mix. Many by dole have great varieties of lettuce and a few veggies in them. Then I add a few extras to make this into not just a side dish but a filling winter meal for lunch or dinner.
This mix has cabbage, carrots and kale. I usually opt to make my own salad dressing though because many of the dressings are made with soy oil which I’m not a huge fan of. I much prefer oils from sesame, avocado, coconut or olive for salad. This mix is a great place to start though. A good alternative use for the dressing that comes in these salad mixes is to use it for a marinade for chicken or tofu prior to cooking the protein. You would simply combine the dressing with the protein in a bowl and cover for 1 to 2 hours prior to cooking. Before you cook the meat, shake off and discard any excess dressing.
Adding your own roasted vegetables to the salad is easy. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. Then lay your peeled and chopped veggies in a single layer and sprinkle with a Tablespoon or so with course salt and some cracked black pepper. I don’t suggest any oil at all. I like to roast my vegetables dry for the best flavor. As long as you spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray, you shouldn’t need to add any other oil or butter. 
Cook the vegetables for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until they are soft and have a slightly browned coloring. After they come out of the oven, let them rest for 5 minutes to cool down before adding to your greens. Then pour over two Tablespoons of your favorite vinaigrette and add in some dried fruit for a bit of extra texture and sweetness like dried cranberries or apricots. I also like to add in some toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds for added protein and crunch. In the winter in the U.S., we can get pretty good citrus fruits too like clementine oranges that are a good salad ingredient too. Enjoy!
