Last week I had my monthly dinner club with some of my girlfriends from church. Our theme for October was “fall food”. For our dinner club, we rotate houses each month and whoever hosts prepares the main course while the rest of us bring the sides and dessert. This month the main course served was a Pork Tenderloin with Maple Balsamic Glaze. For a side I wanted to make something that encompassed all of my favorite fall flavors that would also pair well with pork. Butternut squash is one of my favorite ingredients to use this time of year so I knew that was that was the direction I wanted to go. When looking through my saved recipes, I found one that I was sure would be a hit with the other ladies. I changed up a few of the ingredients to make it my own and it ended up being the perfect fall side dish. You could even eat a larger portion of this salad as a full meal.
Butternut Squash, Kale, and Quinoa Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
adapted from Heartbeet Kitchen
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced kale
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast for about 30-45 minutes, stirring once, until fork tender
- While the squash is roasting, cook quinoa according to directions on package.
- In a large bowl, combine kale, onion, and cherries. Stir in warm quinoa and squash so that kale wilts slightly from the heat.
- For the dressing, whisk together all ingredients.
- Stir dressing into salad; taste and adjust salt level if needed. Serve at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Leave a Reply