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[RECIPE] Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad with PEPPERGREENS

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[RECIPE] Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad with PEPPERGREENS | Running With Tongs

[RECIPE] Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad with PEPPERGREENS | Running With Tongs

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. [RECIPE] Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad with PEPPERGREENS | Running With Tongs

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.  [RECIPE] Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad with PEPPERGREENS | Running With Tongs

Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad With PEPPERGREENS
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.
Naturally Lindsay http://3.232.172.97/
[RECIPE] Roasted Delicata Squash Apple Walnut Salad with PEPPERGREENS | Running With Tongs

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?

og logo good clean greens

 

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.  

Upgrade Your Everyday Salad | organicgirl

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Upgrade Your Everyday Salad with organicgirl's new Sweet Pea and PEPPERGREENS

I feel like for me I’m either all about the salads or all I want is pasta. When I fall into a salad rut it is often due to the fact that I just get bored with my normal greens. I mean I love a bit of crunchy romaine, sweet mache or nice peppery arugula but then I run the rotation and get bored. That’s until my favorite greens, organicgirl, came out with their new PEPPERGREENS and Sweet Pea. I have never found a mix of greens that are as inventive as these two.

organicgirl sweet pea flavor profileIf I’m feeling a bit sweet I’ll go with the Sweet Pea which (depending on the season) have a pea shoots and a nice mix of tender leafy greens such as baby romaine and even baby bok choy. I love to add a small handful to my avocado toast or as a nice simple salad. It’s also great when combined with crunchy romaine hearts. Bonus if you’re looking to get a little protein, Sweet Pea provides you with 5 grams per serving!

organicgirl peppergreens leaves taste profile

 

When I’m feeling a like I want to turn up the heat a bit I go with the PEPPERGREENS. This mix of tender-leaf greens includes a mix of my favorite peppery arugula as well as a few different mustard greens and a new to me herb called cress. Cress is from the watercress and mustard family. These greens are my favorite on a sandwich or tossed with marinated tofu, cherry tomatoes, crispy croutons andorganicgirl‘s vegan Lemon Agave dressing. The dressing is made with real ingredients and you aren’t going to find it on the shelf but right next to the greens in the produce section of your grocery store. Bonus the PEPPERGREENS are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K.

Upgrade Your Everyday Salad with organicgirl's new Sweet Pea and PEPPERGREENS

Now I want to share a few tips to turn your boring salad into something fun, fresh and delicious. 

Step 1. Greens. Get yourself some amazing greens that make you excited to enjoy your salad. Pick ones with features that appeal to you whether that is crunchy, sweet, or peppery. Choose high quality greens because they really do taste better and will make your salad munching experience more enjoyable. 

Step 2. Toppings. The topping options are really endless but I thought I’d share a few of my favorites:

Walnuts + Roasted Sweet Potato + Lemon Agave Dressing (pair with organicgirl Sweet Pea)

Peppered Tofurky + Avocado + Tomato (Pair with organicgirl Sweet Pea)

Crispy Chickpeas + Pepperoncini + Tomatoes + Zaatar (Pair with organicgirl PEPPERGREENS)

Roasted Potatoes + Red Onion + Orange Bell Pepper (Pair with organicgirl PEPPERGREENS or Sweet Pea)

Tempeh Bacon + Avocado + Jicama + Tomatoes (Pair with organicgirl PEPPERGREENS)

Roasted Beets + Hemp Seeds + Dried Figs + Lemon Agave Dressing (pair with organicgirl Sweet Pea)

Step 3. Dressing. Whether you prefer a creamy dressing, a vinaigrette or maybe you just like a simple drizzle of lemon juice make sure you are once again choosing something of quality. When looking for a vinaigrette or dressing avoid bottled dressings that are filled with sugar and preservatives and especially ones with ingredients you don’t recognize. Go for something simple, made from really great fresh ingredients and ideally something that you’ll find in the cooler or produce section such as organicgirl salad love dressings.  

Upgrade Your Everyday Salad with organicgirl's new Sweet Pea and PEPPERGREENS

I hope you find a bit of inspiration and new ways to make your salad fun and delicious. If you try out these new organicgirl salad mixes let me know what you think! Last night I enjoyed the Sweet Pea on a special vegan sausage waffle sandwich with apricot jam and it was so good and maybe, just maybe I’ll have a recipe soon…

So tell me what are your favorite salad combos? What kinds of greens do you prefer spicy or sweet? Crunchy or tender?

og logo good clean greens

 

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.  I was provided compensation for this post but since I should already have stock in orgaicgirl most of this money is going to go towards buying more of their delicious greens. 

About organicgirl: organicgirl is all about making great products people love. Created with premium quality, superior taste and a lot of love, organicgirl greens and salad love dressings are our answer to making a great salad with unmatched taste and freshness. A lot of attention to detail makes the difference; picky seed selection, diverse growing practices, tight specifications, triple washing, a cold, fast delivery system and the commitment of all our people. In addition to organicgirl greens, organicgirl salad love dressings are so great you will love them too! Premium quality organic vinaigrettes are made with fresh ingredients including whole produce to be delicious, fresh and tasty.

Frozen Grains

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Last night Neil and I headed to the gym after work to get in a cardio session in before heading home for a little yoga and dinner. I was already planning on making red curry vegetables and tempeh for dinner so I was delighted to see a box from Village Harvest Rice sitting on my doorstep.  Neil and I anxiously opened the box to find a variety of frozen whole grains just waiting for us to heat them up.  Since I was already making curry for dinner and planning on making a grain to go with I was excited to try one of the varieties out.  I let Neil choose and he decided on the red quinoa and brown rice blend.  All I had to do was cook my curry and heat the grains up on the stove for 3-4 minutes.  Simple and quick.  I was as little weary about whether the grains would hold up or if they would be mushy like other heat and eat grains I had tried before.  

Conclusion: The grains were perfect.  They were not over cooked, not mushy and they held up really well with the curry sauce.  I am very impressed!  This is just the thing I need to have in my house for busy nights since grains always take the longest to cook.

Since we were pretty hungry last night we didn’t have enough for leftovers so I made beans, greens and grains this morning for our lunches.  I decided to try the wheatberry and barley blend to serve along with my stir fry of black beans, spinach, zucchini and peppers. I snuck a few bites and I’m excited for lunch to come.

I think lunch will be the perfect fuel for my run this afternoon. Then it’s off to yoga and out for a drink with the Hubz.

Happy Friday!

Beans, Greens & Grains

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Whole grains are an excellent source of nutrition, as they contain iron, dietary fiber and vitamin E and B Vitamins. They are also absorbed slowly providing sustained and high-quality energy. To aid in digestion it is best to soak grains prior to cooking*; soaking helps to eliminate phytic acid which is what causes gas.

Beans can be a great source of fiber, protein and folic acid. For more information on beans and how to make them more digestible you can refer to this post – Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit…

Greens are a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K; as well as fiber and folic acid. Some of the benefits of eating dark leafy greens are:

-Blood purification

-Cancer prevention

-Improved circulation
-Strengthened immune system

The best choices for greens are bok choy, napa cabbage, kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe and dandelion.  Other good options are green cabbage, arugula, endive, chicory, lettuce, mesclun and wild greens. Spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens are good as well but should be eaten in moderation because they are high in oxalic acid, which depletes calcium from the bones and teeth; best eaten with tofu, seeds, nuts, beams, or oil to balance the effects of the oxalic acid.

*Whole Wheat Couscous is technically not a grain but rather a pasta product made from wheat and doesn’t require soaking.

Tonight I decided to try some new heirloom beans that I picked up at the health food store; I boiled them until tender and the sauteed them with garlic, shallot, olive oil and cremini mushrooms tossed with a little nutritional yeast and Braggs. I placed the beans on top of a bed of lettuce and a scoop of whole wheat couscous and topped with a little avocado.