Massaged Kale and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Apple Cider Dressing
Healthy, hearty and super delicious!
Calories:
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced butternut squash* about ½ inch dice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt to taste
- 4 strips applewood bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 5 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup apple cider apple juice will also work
- sea salt a generous pinch
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 bunches kale** any type of kale will work, I usually use Tuscan kale
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup pomegranate arils or seeds see tutorial on How to Deseed a Pomegranate in less than a Minute!!
- ⅓ cup roasted salted pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil.
- Toss butternut squash, olive oil and sea salt on prepared pan and roast until tender, approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While squash is roasting, prepare dressing; cook bacon pieces until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat..
- Sauté onion in bacon fat for 1 minute. Add cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, cider, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until reduced and slightly syrupy. Remove from heat.
- For the kale, strip; leaves from the stems. You can either cut the stems up and use them in your salad or discard them. I usually discard them but some people like the extra crunch.. Wash and dry the kale (I use a salad spinner), then tear the leaves into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle kale with salt, and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Massage with your fingers (just like you would for a back massage!) until it begins to wilt, darken in color and the volume is reduced to about half, around 4-5 minutes.
- If dressing has cooled off, rewarm for a minute or so. Toss massaged kale with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Transfer to individual serving plates, if desired. Sprinkle with the roasted butternut squash, bacon, pomegranate arils and pepitas. Pass extra warm dressing at the table.
Notes
* ~ Lots of stores sell butternut squash these days, already peeled and cut into cubes. Check the produce section at your local market.
** ~ Sometimes you'll find bags of kale already washed and torn. 2 10-ounce bags will work for 6 servings. (Trader Joe's carries both regular and organic Tuscan kale, pre-washed and ready to go!) *** ~ Intimidated by pomegranates? Check out this Post; tutorial on How to Deseed a Pomegranate in less than a Minute!! (click) for a super simple (not messy) way to remove the seeds.
** ~ Sometimes you'll find bags of kale already washed and torn. 2 10-ounce bags will work for 6 servings. (Trader Joe's carries both regular and organic Tuscan kale, pre-washed and ready to go!) *** ~ Intimidated by pomegranates? Check out this Post; tutorial on How to Deseed a Pomegranate in less than a Minute!! (click) for a super simple (not messy) way to remove the seeds.
