Roasted squash and pear salad with cider vinaigrette
This salad is complex enough for the foodies in your life, but filled with ingredients yummy enough for even discerning little ones (maybe paired down to its component parts, but it depends on your kid).
So, I’ve mostly succumbed to my existential dread and begun inhaling the Halloween candy that I SWORE I wouldn’t open until October 31st. Since my snacking has taken a turn and I also feel like it’s not really fall until I post a kale salad with some sort of roasted squash, I’m coming in hot with this baby today.
Lacinto kale (Tuscan/Dinosaur kale) is the base. This is my favorite kale to use in salads because you can dress it way in advance and it’ll stay crisp for days (and no one can complain about soggy lettuce!). It also stands up well against the nuts, seeds, roasted veggies, and tangy dressing here.
I roasted some honeynut squash (above) which looks like a mini butternut, but is oh so much better. I find butternut squash a little too bland and watery and there are so many other varieties with more taste and body like kabocha and koginut. Plus, they’re so puuuurty.
You might be thinking— “What is this woman smoking if she thinks I’m going to roast squash, toast nuts, fry sage and shallots, AND make a dressing mid-day on a Wednesday.” But hear me out. My squash-roasting method is so easy: split the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place it on a baking sheet cut side down and roast at 425 until fork tender (no peeling or stem trimming required!). Set it and forget it!
The nuts and seeds can be toasted alongside the squash in a separate small pan for like 4-5 minutes without any sort of prep at all (skins still on!).
Finally, the sautéed shallots and sage…well, there’s no way to make them easier. They’re not HARD by any stretch, but they require a little more work than your average salad, I’ll give you that. But they make this salad an EVENT, so if you CAN slow down and make yourself a nice lunch, I guarantee it’ll be worth it. Also, my kid loves fried shallots, so it’s a selling point in his book.
Roasted Squash and Pear Salad with Cider Vinaigrette
Time: 1 hour (about 40 minutes active)
Yield: 2 meal-sized salads or 3 side salads
2-4 small, firm fleshed squash like Delicata, Koginut, or Kabocha
1 bunch Lacinto kale (also called Tuscan or Dinosaur), washed, de-stemmed, and torn
1 Tbsp olive oil
Large pinch of salt
1/4 cup raw hazelnuts
2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp butter
1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
5-6 large sage leaves
1/4 cup feta, goat’s cheese, or any other cheese you like
1 large pear, cored and sliced
Large pinch of Allepo pepper (optional)
Cider vinaigrette (recipe below)
For the cider vinaigrette
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Preheat the oven to 425. Split the squash down the middle with a sharp knife, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits from the center, and place cut side down on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. DO NOT trim the ends or the stem off of the squash. Bake until the outer skin and inner flesh is fork tender, about 35-40 minutes depending upon the size and amount of squash (I like to roast a lot at once so I can freeze the extra and use it for future dishes). Let cool. The skin will slip off of the flesh easily.
While the squash is cooking, prep the kale. Wash, tear the leaves off of the tough inner stems, and then rip the leaves into medium pieces. Top with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and massage and squeeze the kale with your hands to make it more tender. Sprinkle with a large pinch of salt.
In a separate pan, place the raw nuts and seeds. Toast in the oven with the squash for 4-5 minutes or until the nuts and seeds begin to toast and smell nutty. Keep a close eye to prevent burning.
In a small saute pan, melt the butter over a medium high flame. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sage leaves and cook until they go dark and crispy.
Make the dressing: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Or use a small jar with a lid and shake until combined.
Top the lettuce with enough of the dressing to coat well. Add the squash, nuts, seeds, fried shallots, fried sage, and cheese. Just before serving, core and slice the pear and add to the salad (to prevent browning). Top with a large pinch of Aleppo pepper or other little bit of heat and more salt if necessary. Top with the rest of the dressing.
Homemade granola base
Granola may seem like something that’s easier to buy in a store, but let me set the record straight: Homemade granola is simple, fast, and so much better than most of the commercially made stuff. Also, it makes your house smell amazing.
Let’s talk about granola and kids. I love granola because it’s a fun topper for lots of different things: yogurt, apple sauce, purees, pancakes, fruit, ice cream, etc. I like to pretend that it’s nature’s sprinkles. But there may be a chunk of kids who think granola is too crunchy or who don’t like the mix of textures. For them, I would add some mini chocolate chips or chocolate covered sunflower seeds and call it “trail mix.”
But granola is a great way to add some whole grains and make a more balanced snack.
I include millet in my granola and also my granola cups because it’s super crunchy and adds fiber, calcium, and iron, which we always need more of in our diet.
This recipe is a base and you can feel free to customize with whatever fruits and nuts you like best.
Also, if making this for a nut-free school snack, skip the nuts and double the fruit, sub in seeds like sunflower or pepitas, OR toast the nuts separately and toss them into an individual portion at home.
A couple of notes:
If you have trouble finding millet, check the bulk sections of Whole Foods or any health food store.
When spreading the raw granola mix onto your sheet pan, make sure to leave some holes in the middle of the pan. If you spread it as one large mass, the middle will be undercooked while the edges start to burn. With some holes and thinner spots in the middle, you’ll get a more even bake and better chunks in your final product!
Be mindful that when the outsides start to brown, the thicker parts may still be a bit undercooked, but that the whole thing will continue to cook and crisp while it cools. Once you see significant browning on the edges, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely. If there are any undercooked spots, feel free to re-toast them in the oven or a toaster oven for a few minutes before eating. But DON’T toast any fruit that you may add. Toasted dried fruit = hard as a rock!
Homemade granola base
Yield: about 3-4 cups of granola, depending on how many nuts and berries you add
Time: 25-28 minutes (5 minutes active time, 20-23 minutes baking time)
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup millet
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large pinches of kosher salt
½ cup nuts (your choice!)
2 egg whites, slightly whipped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup maple syrup
1/3 cup dried fruit of choice
Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, millet, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the untoasted nuts, if using.
In a large measuring cup, mix together the egg whites, olive oil, and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly.
Spread out on the mixture on a large sheet pan, leaving gaps and holes in the middle.
Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until the edges of the pan and any edges next to gaps in the middle start browning.
Let cool completely.
Add the dried blueberries (or other dried fruit) and crunch up the baked granola so that you have some chunks and some smaller bits.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
Creamy chickpea and halloumi skillet dinner
Cheat the clock with this vegetarian dish inspired by the flavors of tikka masala that uses shortcuts for both time and flavor!
It’s January! That means we can’t binge eat cookie dough for dinner anymore.
I KID! Heartburn is my constant companion lately, so poor eating is much less appealing. That said, I’m feeling pretty great this pregnancy. I am, however, exhausted by 5 pm, so easy dinners that don’t require a lot of prep or cleanup and that cook super fast are at the top of our meal rotation. And I’m looking for shortcuts EVERYWHERE.
There’s absolutely nothing “authentic” about this tikka masala-inspired dish, but it’s so easy and so good, that hopefully you can overlook it this once. The flavors recall your favorite takeout and the halloumi adds a tangy, salty bite.
I normally shy away from recipes that “cheat” with jarred sauces, but I’m making an exception in the interest of time. Rao’s is by far our favorite jarred sauce, but the first time I made this, I was trying to use up another jarred sauce that we didn’t like. It’s great either way.
A couple of tips:
Be sure to cook the spices with the onions and garlic before you add the tomato sauce or cream. Since this dish cooks fast, you need to deepen the flavors by giving the spices a quick sear.
Speaking of cream, don’t forget to let it warm up while you make the rest of the recipe. Adding cold dairy to hot tomato sauce can make the cream curdle. It’ll still taste fine, but the dairy will look like little beads in your tomato sauce instead of mixing together completely.
You might notice that there’s not a lot of salt in this recipe. Since we’re using jarred sauce and really salty cheese, I recommend waiting until the end to add salt if it’s necessary.
Garam masala may not already in your spice rack, but it should be! It’s available all over the place and is really just a mixture of familiar spices that you might not have on hand. Try some!
Wait until the last minute to add the chickpeas because putting them in the sauce too early will soften them too much.
Finally, if you can’t find haloumi or if it’s too expensive, feel free to sub in farmer’s cheese, feta, cojita, queso blanco, or any other salty cheese. If using another type of cheese, no need to cook it beforehand, just add it to the tomato, cream, and chick pea mixture right before serving.
Chickpea and haloumi tikka masala
Yield: 4 grown-up servings
Time: about 35 minutes, all active
1 large can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp butter, ghee, or oil of choice
½ large onion minced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2½ tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp turmeric
2 cups jarred tomato sauce (about 24 oz)
½ cup cream or half and half
Haloumi, sliced
Naan or flatbread for serving
Preheat the oven to 400.
Pour the half and half or cream and set aside to warm up.
Wash and drain the chickpeas and dry them off lightly with a paper towel. Toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast until crispy, about 20 minutes.
While the chickpeas cook, heat the butter, ghee or oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the spices and cook, stirring to mix well, for 2-3 more minutes until fragrant.
Add the tomato sauce, mix well, and turn the flame up to high. Let the sauce come to a boil and turn the heat off.
Heat a small skillet over a high flame until a few drops of water bubble immediately when they hit the skillet. Add the cheese and sear until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Turn the skillet off and set aside.
Check the chickpeas for crispness.
Mix the chickpeas and cream into the tomato sauce. Test for salt, keeping in mind that the haloumi is quite salty. Top with the seared haloumi.