Roasted Turkey Salad with Maple Chipotle Almonds

So I'm driving back from lunch today, and listening to my free trial of Satellite radio (because I'm too cheap to actually pay for it), and "She's Got the Look" by Roxette comes on "The Blend".  First of all, I already feel old because I'm listening to a station called "The Blend" that mixes current music with favorite songs from back when I was young, apparently!!  So anyway, when I was a wee little tyke (quite possibly couldn't tie my shoes still) I used to listen to this Barbie cassette tape (If you don't know what a cassette tape is, stop reading this right now), and "The Look" was one of the songs on it.  I used to listen to that tape allllll the time in my room.  Picture me: Scrunci in my hair, leggings, and a baggy sweatshirt, singing and dancing around like a fool.  La la la la la...... na na na na na na na na na na na... She's got the look!  Man, I was a really cool kid!

Enough of my childhood memories, you probably would rather talk about food.  I have a new obsession.  (Having a new obsession doesn't have to replace any of my previously-stated food obsessions, like pizza, or pasta, or... well anything with carbs, does it?)  THIS food obsession is healthy, so we're all in luck.  Since I'm not eating carbs, I can't put delicious, toasty, crunchy croutons on my salads anymore. BOOOOO.  But I CAN put on these little morsels of heaven: Maple Chipotle Almonds.  They're kinda like potato chips, "You can't have just one".  I'm drooling thinking about the baggie of leftover almonds sitting on my kitchen counter right now. 

So in short, this is the best salad ever.

Side note: I baked some turkey tenderloin for this salad, but if you want to take a shortcut and use turkey from the deli, I think that would be perfectly acceptable.  (Barbie probably would too.)

Printable Recipe HERE

Ingredients:
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon chili powder 
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 turkey tenderloins, trimmed of any fat (usually 2 come in one package)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Morsels of Heaven (a.k.a. Maple Chipotle Almonds)
1 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon chipotle or ancho chili powder

Dressing:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salad:  (Use whatever salad fixin's you like best.  I made a big batch of this salad so there would be delicious leftover, so just use the amount of ingredients you need depending on how much salad you want)
Spring mix lettuce
1 Avocado, thinly sliced
1 Red pepper, diced
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 Cucumber, thinly sliced
Goat cheese crumbles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

Combine the flax seed, almonds, chili powder, salt and pepper in big bowl.  Roll the turkey tenderloins in the mixture so they are coated.  Preheat a large saute pan on the stove and add the olive oil.  When the oil is hot, place the turkey tenderloins in the pan and sear for about 1 - 2 minutes on each side.  Add the turkey tenderloins to an oven-safe baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.   Bake for about 45 minutes, until firm and juices run clear.  Let rest for about 5 minutes, and then slice thinly.

While the turkey is baking, combine the almonds, maple syrup, and chili powder in a small bowl and stir to coat all the almonds.  Spread on a small baking pan and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes.  Check on them occasionally to make sure they are not getting overcooked.  Let cool.

Make the dressing:  
Combine the vinegar, olive oil, and mustard in a small, tightly sealed Tupperware container and shake vigorously until emulsified.

Chop, slice, and dice all your salad ingredients.  Toss the lettuce with the desired amount of dressing, and add the veggies.  Top with the sliced turkey, almonds, and goat cheese!  

Now dance around like you're Barbie and no one is watching :)