Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Almond White Balsamic Dressing

Salads have pretty much been my go-to lunch so far this year. Especially salads of the quinoa bowl variety – I have definitely eaten more than a few of those this year! I went through a sandwich phase a while back and realized that I ended up not really feeling an energy boost after lunch.

I switched things up to include lots of veggies at lunch time along with proteins – especially plant based proteins, like nuts, that supported heart health.

It’s time to face it, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve finally had to go to the Chiropractor for the first time in my life thanks to some nagging back and neck pain over the last month.

In the short and the long term, the better I take care of my body, the better I feel. That includes my eating habits.

Sometimes I will purchase a random assortment of vegetables, whatever looks or sounds good, so that I will have a variety of things on hand to toss in whatever type of salad I’m in the mood for that day.

On my most busy and lazy of weeks I will at least grab a few bags of healthy salad blends on my weekly grocery run.

Other times I might crave something very specific and shop for those ingredients.

This salad is one of those specific cravings. It started first as a random a few weeks ago, let’s try throwing this in. How about this? And maybe this too? From an assortment of leftover that were in the fridge.  Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Garlic and Sage , Citrus and Rosemary Roast Chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and baby spinach.

We’ve really been into sweet potatoes lately and I like to make extra to have on hand for lunches, as long as we actually get through dinner without eating them all.

I noticed some dried cherries in the pantry along with sliced and whole almonds. Personally, I love Fisher Nuts because they’re preservative free and non-GMO Project Verified. Plus, they have nine types of recipe nuts that are certified as Heart Healthy by the American Heart Association.

We always have what feels like 10 thousand bottles of salad dressing in the fridge because everyone in the family has different preferences. One that we had on hand was a White Balsamic Vinaigrette. I was in the mood for something creamy, but those flavors also sounded appealing to me with all the other ingredients going on.

I remembered about a year ago when I made Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Walnut Dressing and that inspired me to try blending almonds into this pre-made White Balsamic Dressing to give it that creamy element I was looking for, and make it a bit more nutritious. It was so good!

For my final, blog-worthy version of Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Bowl recipe, I tested a homemade White Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe and used that to create the Creamy Almond White Balsamic Dressing featured on this salad.

If you don’t have the ingredients on hand and want the quick version, just blend your store bought Vinaigrette and sliced almonds in a 2:1 ratio until creamy.

For the chicken, you can definitely sauté up a few strips of chicken or even throw a chicken breast on the grill and slice it up. But I love to utilize leftover roast chicken, like this Citrus and Rosemary Roast Chicken, from another meal. Just use these quick tips on How to Shred Chicken to prep it for the salad.

If you don’t have any chicken on hand, or if you prefer to go meatless, feel free to leave the chicken out. But, I happen to think that the leftover Roast Chicken pairs perfectly with the sweet cherries, savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Garlic and Sage, tangy Creamy Almond Balsamic Dressing, nutty quinoa, and salty blue cheese crumbles.

Top your Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Bowl off with some Fisher Nuts Whole Almonds for a satisfying crunch and heart healthy boost.

More Heart Healthy Recipes

Looking for more tasty recipes to support heart health this month? Try a few of these favorites:

For a heart healthy breakfast, try these Coconut Chia Pudding Parfaits with Tropical Fruit Turmeric Puree. Coconut milk soaked chia is layered with tropical fruit puree and topped with fresh raspberries and macadamia nuts.

Salted Vanilla Maple Nut and Seed Clusters make a delicious and heart healthy snack that will also satisfy your sweet tooth.

Rainbow Winter Quinoa Bowls with Maple Dijon Balsamic Dressing features lots of heart healthy veggies and plant based protein.

Pina Colada Energy Balls eature a mix of protein, healthy fats, and naturally sweet pineapple, dates and coconut. Pop these bite sized treats in your mouth for a quick snack and energy fix.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Chicken Lettuce Wraps are perfect for satisfying your next Taco Tuesday craving while helping you stick with the inevitable New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier.

Sweet and Spicy Rosemary Bar Nuts offer the perfect mix of sweet, spicy, and savory for all of your healthy snacking needs.

Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Bowl with Creamy Almond Balsamic Dressing

Yield: serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Fuel up and support heart healthy with this Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Power Bowl with Creamy Almond Balsamic Dressing. It is the perfect loaded salad to enjoy this time of year.

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Ingredients

For the Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Bowl

• 8 cups Baby Spinach
• 1/2 cup Shredded Carrot
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded or Cubed Chicken
• 1 1/2 cups Roasted Sweet Potatoes (I like these Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Garlic and Sage)
• 1/2 cup Fisher Whole Almonds
• 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
• 1/2 cup Dried Cherries
• Creamy Almond White Balsamic Dressing, recipe follows

For the Creamy Almond White Balsamic Dressing

• 4 1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Agave
• 1/4 teaspoon minced Garlic
• 3 1/2 tablespoons Fisher Sliced Almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste

Instructions

For the Winter Spinach Chicken Salad Quinoa Bowl

1. In four low and flat bowls, arrange the salad ingredients in seperate sections, making sure to divide the amounts evenly between the bowls. Start with the spinach and then work in a clockwise pattern around the bowl with quinoa, sweet potatoes, almonds, chicken, cherries, blue cheese, and carrots.
2. Serve with the prepared dressing on the side for drizzling on top according to your personal preferences.

For the Creamy Almond White Balsamic Dressing

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or small, 4 cup size, food processor and blend until smooth.

Notes

Leftover rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken works great for this salad. Just use these quick tips on How to Shred Chicken to prep it for the salad.

Dried cranberries substitute well for the dried cherries.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 454Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 572mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 22gProtein: 15g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher nuts. The opinions and text are all mine.