Golden Curry Chicken Salad

If this blog was Sesame Street, this would be the dish that was brought to you by the color orange. There are so many beautiful orange vegetables right now, that I thought it could be interesting to put a bunch of them together in a salad. Underscoring the theme was be a bright curry dressing.

I roasted the beets and carrots but left the bell pepper and tomato raw. In addition to their colors, these vegetables provide a variety of textures too.

Golden Curry Chicken Salad

6 yellow beets, about 2-inches thick
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch rounds (split carrots in half if particularly large)
olive oil
1 lb. chicken breast cutlets
olive oil, salt and pepper
1 orange bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 cup golden grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, peeled
Salt
1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh-ground white pepper
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. honey

Toast, greens, pitas, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place beets in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle beets with olive oil and then seal the foil into a closed package. Roast beets until a fork pierces them without much resistance, about 40-60 minutes. Set aside to cool and then peel (the skins of roasted beets are loose enough to remove with your fingers) and chop into 1/2-inch cubes. Allow to cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, place the chopped carrots in a small roasting dish and drizzle with oil. Roast alongside the beets for about 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cook chicken breasts about 10 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool, then chop into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside to cool completely (refrigerate if not using right away).

4. To make dressing, add garlic clove to a small bowl, sprinkle with salt and mash into a fine paste (if you have mortar and pestle, use that). Add remaining dressing ingredients and stir until combined.

5. In a large bowl, combine the chopped beets, carrots, chicken, bell pepper, celery, tomatoes and parsley. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve over greens, pitas or toast.