Squash and Kale Salad with Orange Tahini Dressing

Monday, November 23, 2015

Today, I walked outside to greet a thin layer of frost across the top of our car.  Now I feel justified in posting lots of warm, hearty recipes (says the girl who posts soup recipes in June... ).  This isn't a particularly warm recipe, but it is hearty, especially for a salad.  

Salads usually get categorized as a side dish, but I think that is a mistake for some salads, because they can be incredible filling.  I love this one, because I find that it is just the perfect balance of sweet and salty, with a tangy bite to the dressing.  Honestly, the dressing is incredible.  I don't think I have ever tasted anything like it before, and it is so delicious.  

I thought it might be worth posting a salad on Thanksgiving week, because you might need a post-Thanksgiving salad to justify all the pie you are going to eat.  







Salad:
1 head of curly kale, destemmed, and ripped into large bite-size pieces
a few drops of olive oil
1 acorn squash, chopped in half, seeds removed, and thinly sliced
1 Tbs oil
dash of salt and pepper
1/4 cup pepitas, roasted and salted
1/8 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Place your kale in a large bowl.  Pour the drops of olive oil over the kale and massage the kale for a minute or two between your fingers, until the kale softens and turns bright green.

In a medium sized frying pan, place the acorn squash in the pan with the oil, and cook with a lid on for about 4 minutes.  Flip when the squash has softened and begins to brown.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the squash is soft.  Lightly salt and pepper it, and remove it from the pan.  Carefully remove the peel with a knife.  Put squash pieces on the kale.

Sprinkle prepared pepitas over salad, and sprinkle feta on as well.  Serve with dressing (see recipe below).  Enjoy!

Dressing: 
slightly adapted from the edible perspective
2 Tbs orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
2 Tbs tahini
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs olive oil
dash of salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar and mix with a spoon until smooth.  

1 comment

  1. We have a ton of oranges in the fridge that I was just thinking about how I could use them up today! I'll have to try this salad for lunch tomorrow!

    Paige
    http://thehapyflammily.com

    ReplyDelete

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