Winter Squash Salad

Winter Squash Salad

At most of the gardens we manage we plant honeynut squash. This winter variety is a bit sweeter than most but this recipe works equally well with other winter varieties. We start making this one in the fall but its bright flavors work well any time of year. We hope this will become one of your favorite winter salads. Feel free to make it your own by substituting the pumpkin seeds for other nuts, changing the pomegranate to dried cranberry or cherry, and adding some citrus to the vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

From the Garden:

1 small Honeynut (or Butternut) Squash
1/3 cup Pomegranate Seeds
1-2 cups Pea Tendrils*
1/4 cup Roasted shelled Pumpkin Seeds

From the Kitchen & For Vinaigrette:

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Goat or Feta Cheese optional (just enough to sprinkle on top)

Vinaigrette:

Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Dijon mustard, vinegar, honey, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and pepper in a mason jar with a lid and shake to mix.

Roasting the Butternut Squash:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel the squash, remove seeds, and cube into 3/4 inch pieces. Toss the pieces with olive oil, pinch of salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes until tender. Let cool for 20 minutes.

Plating the Salad:

Place warm squash on a long plate with the pea tendrils. Drizzle vinaigrette over squash and pea tendrils. Finish with pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, and cheese if desired.

*Pea Tendrils

Pea tendrils are the tender shoots of young pea plants and are edible. They have a delicate almost spinachy flavor.

Pea Tendrils