What a show stopping salad. I have been roasting vegetables all fall and now that we are officially into winter, the roasting continues. Acorn squash looks so pretty when it’s cut this way and you can even eat the peel. I use a simple method of just dusting the pieces with a little coconut sugar and sea salt. Perfectly balanced flavor is the result.

Red Kale, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and a lemon walnut oil vinaigrette compliment the acorn squash. And this salad is super healthy. Make this for your holiday gathering and let me know the results. Check out my notes in the recipe for a variation.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Red Kale Salad

Serves 6

2 medium acorn squash seeded and cut into pieces

1 large bunch of red kale, cleaned and torn into bite size pieces

1 lemon juiced ( 1/4 cup)

1/8 cup neutral oil

1/8 cup walnut oil

1 tsp honey ( or agave)

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup walnuts chopped

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

1 tsp sea salt

salt/ pepper to taste

Method:

Make your vinaigrette first so you can massage a little into your kale. Whisk the lemon juice, oils, honey and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle half of this on the kale and massage the leaves to coat them evenly. Place on your serving dish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and dust with coconut sugar and sea salt. Roast for 12-15 minutes until squash is tender. Let cool slightly.

Assemble salad by arranging squash pieces over the kale. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, add walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

Variation:

Use a bed of arugula instead of kale. Dress leaves lightly with vinaigrette. Roast 1 pound of brussels sprouts while you are roasting the squash, and add to the squash halves. Add walnuts, seeds and 4 oz of feta or crumbled blue cheese. * cheese is optional if you want it to remain vegan.