Kale Salad with Maple Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Spice up your salads this fall with a kale salad bursting with sweet roasted maple butternut squash, goat cheese, and a crunchy pomegranate vinaigrette! 

Happy Monday!! I am very excited about a Monday (so rare) because today is a special day! We are having a virtual bridal shower for a dear and special friend. You are invited to the surprise shower for Joanne of Eats Well with Others hosted by her blogging friends!! (Surprise Joanne!!).

I’ve had the pleasure of calling Joanne a dear friend for the past year and a half. She is a Ph.D. (and MD) student like myself and we bonded over that right away but despite our misery over failed experiments, we both love food! How she juggles blogging every day and being a scientist beats me. She is seriously a powerhouse of a chick and just so down to earth.

I was so lucky to meet her twice this summer! Once in NYC over coffee and almond croissant and a few weeks later in Philly when we attended The Big Traveling Potluck. She is just as sweet and hilarious in person and I’m so excited for her upcoming nuptials to the boy. He is one lucky man!!

Joanne’s favorite season is fall and that’s the theme of her shower!! Check out all the amazing recipes at the end of the shower attendees. Naturally, I wanted to make a super decadent fall dessert but when I think of Joanne, I think of kale, squash (all varieties, she doesn’t discriminate), and chocolate. Things like massaging kale, the uselessness of romaine, or just how you need a chocolate slab pie on those terrible weeks are a few of the things I’ve learned from her. She is all about balance while staying healthy. How can you not love that?

She doesn’t know this but she has inspired me over the past year to try new-to-me superfoods like kale. I’ve been enjoying cooking my way through her extensive salad archive and spicing up my lunches. I decided to whip up this kale salad with maple roasted butternut squash and pomegranate vinaigrette. Massaged kale is tossed with a crunchy (slightly spicy) pomegranate vinaigrette and butternut squash roasted in maple syrup. The salad is finished with fresh pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and walnuts! It’s a powerhouse salad!!

Joanne – I wish you and the boy a happy and blessed marriage!! Have fun at the wedding and I can’t wait to see your gorgeous pictures. You are one stunning bride 🙂 Love you!

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Yield: Serves 4

Kale Salad with Maple Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Spice up your salads this fall with a kale salad bursting with sweet roasted maple butternut squash, goat cheese and a crunchy pomegranate vinaigrette! 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For Salad:

• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 pound kale, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• Goat cheese, to taste

For Dressing:

• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 teaspoon honey mustard
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss squash with olive oil, maple syrup and salt and pepper. Bake on a lined baking sheet 20-30 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, process pomegranate seeds, mustard, vinegar and sugar until smooth. With processor going, gently pour the olive oil into bowl and pulse until combined. Pour into a jar and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, sprinkle kale with lemon juice and salt. Massage (by rubbing) kale until it reduces in volume by half and soft, about 3 minutes. Toss kale with dressing and squash. Top with walnuts and goat cheese.

Making this Recipe?

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