Squash Season is here! I shared this delicious recipe for an Autumn Harvest salad with Emily Burris and Travis Teich on KOIN AM Extra. Dressed in a homemade Pumpkin Tahini Vinaigrette, this salad will make your taste buds dance. Full of color, this salad is also gluten-free, and plant powered. Rich in flavor, nutrients, and anti-oxidants, this salad a the perfect 1:1:1 meal. Delicata squash is the superstar ingredient! It is technically a fruit because it comes from a flower and contains seeds. However, in cooking and in the culinary world, it is treated like a vegetable. While it tastes somewhat similar to sweet potatoes, delicata squash has 7 gram of carbohydrate in a ¾ cup serving compared to 40g in sweet potatoes.

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD:

  • 3 cups kale
  • 3 cups quinoa, cooked
  • 1 whole delicata squashed, seeded, sliced into any shape you prefer, roasted
  • 1 apple, sliced (any variety)
  • 1 lb. of figs (green and purple), sliced to desire size
  • 1/3 cup of crumbled blue cheese (vegan, dairy free) or your preferred variety
  • 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
  • 1 tbsp. avocado oil used to roast the delicata squash.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PUMPKIN TAHINI VINAIGRETTE:

  • 4 tbsp. tahini
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp. maple syrup
  • 2tsp. dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste

*you may need water to thin it out.

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Toss the kale in the pumpkin vinaigrette
  2. Add the cooked quinoa to kale and toss.
  3. Place the delicata squash on an oven-safe baking sheet. Drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Bake the delicata squash at 375 for 25 minutes and flip 1/2 way through. You want to see a roasted and golden color.
  4. You can continue adding the other ingredients into the bowl, toss and serve as a power bowl. OR, or you can plate the dressed kale/quinoa mix onto individual plates or a platter for serving
  5. Decorate each plate or platter with the remaining ingredients.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DRESSING

  • Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Serves: 5