HARVEST SALAD.
In case you missed it, we recently moved to Las Vegas, NV! Being new in town and making friends as an adult is so hard as is… add to that, the fact that I am such an anxious girlie and a socially awkward extroverted introvert, well let’s just say, food is my way of trying to be friends. Luckily, we’ve met the best people so far, and we got invited to a cute s’mores themed birthday party — so of course, I offered to bring a salad. I wanted to try something different than I’ve done before and for some reason, an the idea of creating an orange balsamic vinaigrette came to mind. With that in mind, I got to brainstorming flavor profiles and well, this is the result. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients for salad:
2-3 bunches of kale, washed, de-stemmed & dried
1/2 butternut squash, small cubes
6 oz of pomegranate seeds (i used about 3/4 of the POM wonderful container)
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 oz feta cheese, in brine (i use sheep’s milk feta!)
~2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (can sub avocado oil)
S+P
Ingredients for dressing:
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed (i used 3 large oranges)
1/8 cup raw honey
~ 2 tablespoons orange zest
Instructions:
Start by peeling and dicing your butternut squash into small cubes. Toss with S+P to taste. Over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat up. When ready, add your butternut squash and cook for about 10 minutes, mixing occasionally. At this point, you can add another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of olive oil if needed. Cover your pan and cook for another 5-10ish minutes. While your butternut squash is cooking, peel and thinly sliced the shallots. Once your butternut squash is fully cooked, turn off the heat**, place in a container and set aside. Using the same pan, turn the stovetop back on (medium heat) and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When ready, toss in your shallot slices and let them cook for about 10-12 minutes or until browned (some might be crispy and that’s ok!!). While you’re cooking your shallots, you might need to add another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of olive oil if needed. When finished cooking, turn off the heat, place in a separate container and set aside to cool. Both of these steps can be done the night before.
** if you’re a pro in the kitchen, don’t bother turning off the stovetop, just remove the butternut squash and place back on your burner
As you let the butternut squash and shallots cool or 30 minutes to an hour before you are ready to serve, it’s time to prep the kale and dressing. Wash, dry, and de-stem your kale — I used my hands to do this, while breaking my kale up into smaller bite size pieces. Place your kale pieces in a big bowl and set aside. Using a large mason jar, add your ingredients for the dressing (no particular order, just follow the measurements listed above) and shake until emulsified. Pour a good amount of dressing onto your kale and mix. Massage your dressing into the kale and let it sit for a bit before you add the remaining ingredients.
When you’re ready to serve, transfer your kale and dressing to your serving platter and top with your butternut squash, your pomegranate seeds, your shallots and freshly crumbled feta. Toss everything together so the dressing is incorporated onto all your toppings, or add a touch more dressing if needed.
This salad is super easy to prep in advance because it doesn’t get soggy (thank you kale!!) and the leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge without becoming solid, so it’s perfect for hosting and perfect for leftovers!
