Are you into squash? I don’t eat enough of it but it’s delicious when made right. I kind of default to putting cinnamon/brown sugar/cayenne on it most of the time but there’s just something about the mix of spice and sweetness.
Kale can be a tough customer, and I think a lot of people don’t realize you have to “massage” kale in order to eat it raw. It’s a strong, fibrous plant, and massaging it breaks down its cell walls somewhat making it nicer to eat and easier to digest!
There are a million iterations of this salad, commonly served with pomegranate seeds instead of dried cranberry but I personally don’t like chewing on them. Swap the kale for spinach, use acorn, delicata or butternut squash.
What you need:
Serves 4-6
- 1 large acorn squash, peeled and sliced 1/2″ (about 3 cups)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 5 cups kale, washed
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
- 3 tbsp dried cranberries
- 3 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp grainy mustard
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepared a large parchment lined baking sheet.
- In a large bowl combine peeled sliced squash, 1 tbsp of olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and place in an even layer onto baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until squash has browned lightly and piercing with a fork provides no resistance. Let cool slightly.
- We gotta massage that kale. In another bowl place kale, and tear into 1″ chunks, removing any of the stems. Add lemon juice, remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and pinch of salt. Gently massage the leaves by rubbing them between your fingers and distribute the oil/juice for a few minutes. (I’ve included a video below if this doesn’t make sense!)
- In a bowl, combine all dressing ingredients except for oil. Whisk to combine, then carefully stream the oil in while whisking continually to emulsify. Set aside.
- On a large platter lay out kale, place pieces of squash on top and throughout. Top with feta, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
Serve with dressing and Enjoy!
How to massage kale:
