A Morroccan-ish Green Salad with Roasted Chicken

I mentioned in my last post that the difficult thing about planning meals ahead when you buy all your produce at the farmers market is that sometimes the market doesn't have what you've planned for them to have.

The other problem, and this one certainly applies no matter where you buy your produce, is what to do when you've planned a warm meal suitable for winter's chill, and it's suddenly 70 degrees outside.  Wouldn't a salad be nice?

So that chicken, which I purchased to make "Chicken Curry with Potatoes, Carrots and Peas," which I won't make because there weren't any potatoes and I didn't buy enough sunchokes (and I didn't buy frozen peas either), has been roasted (with lemon, garlic, thyme, lots of salt and pepper).  Tonight it will be served on a bed of mixed greens, which I have plenty of--those $2 bags they sell at the market contain enough lettuces and baby greens for at least three nights of dinner salad in our house.  This salad will be tossed with cumin-roasted diced carrots, garlicky chickpeas, and croutons made of pita bread--all of which I prepared last night after the kids went to bed (Whew!).  We'll garnish it with crumbled Cojita cheese (yes, feta might be more appropriate, but I prefer Cojita, so that's what I have on hand) and dress it with a yogurt-dill dressing inspired by Vanessa Barrington in DIY Delicious  (dill, parsley and thyme from our garden whisked together with yogurt, mustard and honey). 

oOo

It still seems counter-intuitive to me to prep our dinners the evening (or morning) before.  Quite often it results in more dishes to be washed.  But I must say, I enjoy cooking so much more when I am not 1.) starving, and therefore stuffing Juanita's tortilla chips into my mouth, and 2.) being whined at by kids who assume they are going to hate dinner, or who are just looking for some quality time with Mom.  Also, I think the meals tend to taste better, because they are cooked with more focus (maybe a little more love), less fatigue and impatience.  I think the extra dishes are worth it.