fall-ing for salad

Yup, there's something in the air {I mean besides air}...everyone around me [myself included] seems to be in various stages of losing what little sanity they cling to. What would be the traumatic event behind such ominous behavior? What le heck can cause normally sane [?] people to act this way? I suppose we can blame it on Fall, whose rapid approach I have been warning you about. The other 3 seasons are pretty predictable...wwwinterrrrrrrr no surprises here, it gets light later, dark earlier, snow, ice, wind chills and is cold...all the time! spring, birds singing, golden bolts of sunlight, crisp early air, drippy skies, daffodils! summer, the sun strutting around like it owns the place, long hot lazy afternoons, humidity, and fireflies! But Fall?? That whole fading light business, trees turning colors, one day the temperature is above 90* and sunny, the next minute day it is 50* and raining....while the other seasons transcend in slow whispery days from one to another blending more or less into the next season seemingly effortlessly, one season does not know how to play nice...I'm not pointing any fingers, Fall, I'm just sayin'.

So now that I've figured out the whole season thingy, {there are four, every year, duh so hard to follow,no?},  I'm playing catch-up. I don't learn from experience you see, instead of pacing myself and getting everything done at a leisurely pace, I cram it all into a couple of weeks. Oh yes, it is insidious, but I'm just me that way. So,  I have been working non-stop which has made me loopy and as easy a target for the giggles as a 3 year old. Plus, I'm crazy tired, by 2:00 pm I am toast! I need a couch and a nap!

I recently came to the realization that somehow, I have not talked about salads in awhile. Admittedly, I am more of a dessert person, but I love a good salad and did not intentionally give it the silent treatment. My bad.

I've been sitting on this post for a while, for reasons of sheer vanity. I couldn't get a decent shot of the salad before it disappeared as is standard practice around here when it comes to things that taste this good. So I made it again {tragic, I know} and took the shots before I could inhale it [again]! My annual obsession with all things fall has started, this installment being this perfect mixture of warm roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and a whisper of lime dressing. Yeah, that's right. Perfect. 

 I roast my sweet potatoes until they are brown and caramelized. Add basil  for some twang. Black beans for deliciousness. Ricotta cheese offers a sharp, clean flavor. Pumpkin seeds and crisp arugula lend just enough crunch, while still keeping the salad healthy. A little drizzle of lime and olive oil are the only other players in this dish.

Warm Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

(go here for recipe)