Kale Salad with Butternut Squash

I found something to do with the five foot tall kale growing in my garden, and I’ve filed it under “stand-alone meals”, though never forget I also served popcorn for dinner last year! To make this salad more filling, I’d recommend garnishing it with a generous helping of goat cheese or serving it alongside a big bowl of butternut squash soup. Either way, it’s the perfect fall salad and an excellent way to put a cool-season crop of kale to use. I’ve made it three times this week! Serves four.

Ingredients

For the salad:

1 medium-sized butternut squash (or sweet potato), cubed

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 bunch of Lacinato kale, stemmed and finely chopped

1 pomegranate, seeds removed and washed

1/2 purple onion (optional, finely diced)

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoons honey (optional)

Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

For the topping:

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or toasted slivered almonds or pumpkin seeds)

1/3 cup goat cheese, finely crumbled (optional)

Directions

1. Place the butternut squash on a rimmed baking tray, cover with olive oil and toss to coat the squash evenly. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender.

2. Prepare the dressing by combining the olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard in a small bowl; whisk the ingredients until they’re well incorporated. Taste the dressing. If you think you’d like it better sweet, add honey (I rarely do!).

3. Add the stemmed and chopped kale to a medium-size bowl, pour the dressing over it, and use your hands to gently massage the dressing into the kale. (This will remove the bitter taste of the kale.)

4. Once the squash is ready, add it, along with the pomegranates, to the kale. Toss well.

5. When ready to serve, plate the salad into separate bikes and garnish each one with walnuts and goat cheese.