delicata

Sides have always been my favorite thing when it comes to holiday dinners. I love mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, warm flakey rolls and green bean casserole but only the one made with tinned french cut green beans. The thing with all of these sides is that they are super heavy and while tasty a bit beige and boring. 

In hopes of livening up the table this holiday season I have been working on a few colorful, tasty and festive side dishes. One of them happens to be a salad and I know what you are thinking who wants salad when there is tinned jellied cranberry sauce and that sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows. Hmmm maybe I did make salad seem just a little more appealing.  

The salad I am sharing with you today is colorful, filled with familiar holiday flavors and ingredients but is also fun and will impress your guests. It’s a combo of sweet squash, creamy tahini sauce, crisp fresh apple, crunchy nuts, peppery greens and a  tart and tangy lemon dressing. Basically the perfect combination of flavors and textures.  

Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad With PEPPERGREENS

2015-11-12 04:31:41

Yields 4

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Ingredients

1. 1 Delicata Squash, washed, cut into rounds and seeds removed
2. 1 box organicgirl PEPPERGREENS
3. 1 Gala or Fuji Apple, thinly sliced
4. 1/4-1/3 cup Walnuts
5. 1/4 cup organicgirl Salad Love Lemon Agave
6. Maple Tahini Sauce
7. 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
8. 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
9. 3 tablespoons Tahini
10. 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
11. 3 tablespoons water
12. Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the delicata squash rounds on the pan. Spray the squash with a light coating of coconut oil spray (optional) and season with salt and pepper. Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes; until the squash is cooked through. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet before adding to salad.
2. While the squash is roasting make the tahini sauce my simply whisking everything together.
3. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat just until they start to get a little bit of color. Remove and allow to cool.
4. To assemble: Divide the greens between four different plates, top with a few slices of apple and squash. Drizzle a tablespoon each of the lemon agave dressing and the tahini sauce over the salad. Crush a few walnuts between your fingers and sprinkle over the salad.

Notes

1. Delicata squash skin is super tender so there is no need to remove it just give it a good wash.
2. Feel free to serve this salad family style by placing the greens in a large bowl, top with apples, squash and walnuts and dress just before serving.
3. Toss the apple slices with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.

By Lindsay Ingalls (@RunWithTongs)

Naturally Lindsay http://3.232.172.97/

I’ll tell you this salad is so good that I have been making it all week and plan to make it part of my regular rotation. If you want to bulk this dish up a bit add some slices of BBQ tempeh to the top and you have a complete meal.

What side dishes will you be serving up this Thanksgiving? What are your favorites?

Where to find organicgirl: Available nationwide, including Whole Foods, Fred Meyer, New Seasons and many neighborhood markets in Portland.

Disclosure: This post was created in collaboration with organicgirl. I am thrilled to be working on a three part series with organicgirl because frankly I have been obsessed with organicgirl for years.