So there's this bag of lettuce....that I just ate.
As in the entire bag. In one sitting. And we're not taking your Joe Schmo ordinary bag of greens. We're talking the semi wilted kind that totally expires tomorrow and looks at you with mopey eyes whenever you open the fridge screaming, "EAT ME, WOMAN!" Neglecting perfectly good lettuce is indeed wasteful and I was indeed neglecting it....until now.
The real reason this salad was born is because I'm too frugal to pay $12.50 for Northstar's winter vegetable salad, which just so happens to be the dreamiest salad on the planet. It's studded with caramelized butternut squash that's roasted so perfectly that it's borderline candy. I take that back. It IS candy. Don't forget the roasted beets, spicy pecans, creamy goat cheese and the vinaigrette that's so damn tasty I question if it's actually real. (I think that's enough adjectives for one post.) But seriously, that salad is the one thing I look forward to about winter.
Comparing this salad to that salad is like comparing me to ohhhhh I don't know, God. Or Gordon Ramsey.
But hey, this salad was so tasty that it caused me to finish the entire bag of lettuce. Considering both it's slightly wilted nature and looming expiration date (ahem, tomorrow), I consider that a significant accomplishment. Inhaling a bag of leafy lovelies (can we please just say salading?) is a cinch when it's slathering in orange maple cinnamon goodness. This salad is sweet and salty and chewy and crunchy and oh so right.
P.S. I buy oranges like next to never. I got this nifty new tool to help me in my citrus juicing adventures, so I figured I had to buy an orange to test it out. I also bought a couple new knives at North Market Cookware that are crazy sharp and weirdly cheap but totally awesome. They even got rave reviews on Amazon! I have like ten little paper cuts that are really knife cuts on the tips of my fingers from touching it repeatedly like a moron exclaiming, "OMG....these are weirdly sharp." Go figure. It sliced through the orange like a piece of paper, people. Prior to these bad boys, I couldn't even slice a tomato, let alone an orange.
That moral of that unrelated story is that you should totally use a fresh orange for the juice in the dressing instead of using the kind from a carton. I'll leave it at that. I also used a package of Trader Joe's pre-cut butternut squash because I'm too scared that I'll chop my arm off cutting a real one (which is a legitimate concern because it almost happened once or thrice).
So when I say two large servings, take it with a grain of salt. After all, it only fed one Hummusapien.
Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing
Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- For the roasted squash:
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash
- ½ tbsp coconut oil, melted
- Sprinkling of cinnamon, salt and pepper (be generous)
- For the dressing:
- Juice of one orange (about ⅓ cup)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Generous pinch of salt and pepper
- For the salad:
- 4 oz bag of leafy greens
- Roasted squash
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- optional: crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place cubed and peeled butternut squash chunks on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Toss cubes with melted coconut oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper and spread out in an even layer.
- Roast for about 25 minutes, or until squash is nicely browned.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients and place in the fridge until the salad is ready.
- To assemble the salad, place the leafy greens, roasted squash, pecans and dried cranberries in a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing plus a good pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. You'll have some dressing leftover.
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
Looks good! Needs a little bleu cheese though 😉
Jess @ JessieBear What Will You Wear? says
Every fall I fall in love with squash 😉
Alexis says
Saaaaaaaaame!
Julie @ HealthNutJulie says
I've been craving salad SO bad lately, but every time I buy it, it just sits in the fridge and never gets used. I seriously love lettuce though... I can just eat it straight out of the bag. That dressing looks superb! And butternut squash too obviously... butternut squash is always sexy.
Alexis says
It doesn't get much sexier than butternut squash, that's fo sho.
Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog says
Yum - this salad sounds delicious! I just made a bag of the TJs butternut squash last night and now I guess I'm going to have to buy more. No complaints here!
Alexis says
I need to buy like ten bags at a time to feed my addiction. It's like candy! I mean I legit ate half the pan before I made this salad.
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
i cant wait to start cooking with butternut squash - its the bomb 🙂
Alexis says
To say I'm obsessed with squash is an understatement....SO bomb.
Angela @ Health's Angel says
Yes! I love recreating way-too-expensive restaurant/take out salads at home. I went out to eat with a friend yesterday and my salad was $11. Not cool. It was delicious though. The dressing on this sounds phenomenal!
Alexis says
$11 salads are NOT cool! Let's bond together and recreate them all 🙂
Julia says
LOVE this! I eat salad pretty much every day and love adding roasted veggies to my greens! Love the dried fruit and dressing too. looks like lunch to me!! 🙂
★★★★★
Alexis says
Thanks lady! I need to get better about eating salad every day....kudos to you!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
yum! I love the dressing. Don't get me started on cutting a butternut squash....did it for the first time for soup the other day and to say it was an challenge would be an understatement!
Alexis says
Right?? It's a serious arm workout...and a dangerous one, too!
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
I LOVE butternut squash! It's definitely one of my favorite foods of the season. This salad sounds great and that dressing...yummy!
Alexis says
I think I confuse loving fall with loving butternut squash....YUM.
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
This sounds so awesome, and as the weather is warming up here, I've been chucking butternut squash/kabocha into salads- now I'll just need this amazing sound dressing!
Totally hear you on the wilted salad. Although the end bits are vom. com.
Alexis says
Am I the only blogger on the planet that hasn't tried kabocha??? So sad. I'm totally with you on the wilted end bits....vom.
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
I'm actually drooling over this salad. And I can't even imagine adding beets and goat cheese. Holy amazingness.
I agree, cutting butternut squash is scary stuff. I tend to buy it already cut too to save a finger or two. And time, because that's also kind of important.
Alexis says
This would be INSANE with goat cheese. Like, I can't even.
Khushboo Thadani says
Okay so I want to just make a big batch of this dressing on use it on anything and everything- YUM! This recipe sounds fabulous! I know the HLB world seem to be head over heels in love with kabocha but if you ask me, butternut squash is where it is AT!
Alexis says
Dooooo it! I've never even laid mouth on kabocha, so take that HLB blog! BOOM.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
This dressing sounds FABULOUS! I would love to try it on kale :).
Alexis says
Considering it's national kale day...that seems more than appropriate!