Happy fall y’all! I am loving the chilly mornings, crisp air that smells of sunshine crunchy leaves, and of course the food that comes with the season!
This fall salad includes roasted butternut squash, beets and charred brussels sprouts. I create a light but flavorful herb dressing and cinnamon candied pecans to crumble on top. The different textures when paired together create a scrumptious, satisfying yet healthy lunch or dinner.
Kale, as you probably know, is one of the most nutrient dense vegetables! It also happens to be listed as a superfood. Kale provides more antioxidants than most fruits and vegetables. It is a fantastic source of fiber, calcium, vitamin K and iron. It contains 45 different antioxidant flavonoids, and is known to be a cancer fighting food.
Beets are also a superfood. They are known to increase stamina during intense exercise and are recommended for athletes to eat. Beets are also known to cleanse the liver, kidneys and gall bladder. I know people either love beets or hate them, but trust me... when they are slowly roasted, it brings out their natural sugars creating an earthy, caramel-like flavor. This salad takes only about 20 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes for roasting.
I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium sized butternut squash
- 2 beets
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced brussels sprouts
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 cups chopped kale
Candied Pecans
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or just use coconut sugar)
- A pinch of salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Dressing
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp herbs de provence
- A pinch of pepper
- 1 tbsp water
The Process:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel beets and cut off the thick skin of the squash, then chop both veggies to bite size chunks. Spread out on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add the salt and pepper. Toss everything to coat evenly. Pop in the oven for 35 minutes, until veggies are soft and slightly crisp on the outside.
To make caramelized pecans, tear off a sheet of parchment paper and set aside. Add all ingredients to a pan on medium high. Once everything starts to melt together stir and continue stirring for another 4-5 minutes. The mixture should bubble, this is the sugars turning into caramel. Just don’t let the nuts burn. Pour the nuts and all the sauce onto the parchment paper and let cool.
For the brussels sprouts heat a frying pan on high heat and add a teaspoon of olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add brussels sprouts. Sautee in pan for about 7 minutes, flipping the brussels sprouts only once halfway through. Not stirring them is how they become charred and get that delicious smoky flavor.
The dressing is so easy! Simply add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until combined.
To assemble, simply add about a cup of kale to each plate. Add on desired amounts of roasted veggies, brussels sprouts, nuts and dressing!
