Healthy & Satisfying Winter Salad

Salads are such a great way to get in veggies during the day, but oftentimes they don’t fill us up. For me a great salad is not only filling, but also has a balance of sweet & savory, crunchy & smooth. I also like salads that are versatile, so I can swap ingredients to satisfy my own taste preferences. Don’t like goat cheese? Try feta or blue; don’t have spinach? Try baby lettuce or kale.

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Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 6-ounce package baby spinach

• 2 delicata squash

• 1 teaspoon avocado oil

• 3/4 teaspoon curry powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Pepper, to taste

• 3/4-1 cup cooked farro (this is usually from about 1/4 cup dry)

• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

• 1/4-1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese (I used Trader Joe’s honey goat cheese)

• 1/4 cup walnuts

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

• Protein of choice: roasted chicken, cooked salmon, grilled or roasted shrimp

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

• Pinch garlic powder

• Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Unless using a stainless steel cookie sheet, line your pan with parchment. Peel your delicata and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and then slice into half moons, about 1/4-1/2” thick. Drizzle with avocado oil, curry powder, salt & pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes, until squash is browning, but not burning!

2. While the delicata roasts, follow package instructions to cook farro.

3. In a small sauté pan, toast walnuts and pumpkin seeds over low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes (you should start to smell a nutty scent). Remove from heat and add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, stir to coat and set aside to cool.

4. Whisk all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl, set aside.

5. Assemble your salad: place your spinach in a salad bowl. Top with cooked squash, cooked farro, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese and walnut-pumpkin seed mixture. Add your protein of choice, drizzle with dressing and serve.

Notes

Feel free to swap out ingredients for whatever you have on hand (this is the only way I’ve made this, so I can’t vouch for other flavors, though). You could try swapping kale for spinach, quinoa for farro, feta or blue cheese for the goat cheese, or another squash for the delicata.

Recipe & Photography by:  Bethany Mitchell-Legro