Harvest Salad Recipe with Maple Vinaigrette

Apple autumn butternut squash Canadian fall flavors fennel goat cheese homemade dressing kale maple vinaigrette natural sugar Salad

Posted October 13, 2023 by: Admin #Kitchen

Made with fresh kale, fennel, roasted squash, crisp apple, and creamy goat cheese, this autumnal salad is the ideal dish for the fall season. Not only is it remarkably simple to prepare, but it also maintains its quality in the fridge for several days once assembled. In fact, the robust ingredients in this salad can withstand the dressing, and it only gets more flavorful with time.

Advertisement:

Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

A crucial element of any exceptional salad is a truly outstanding dressing. While anyone can combine an array of fresh vegetables and fruits, the right dressing can elevate an ordinary salad to greatness. I used to rely on store-bought dressings for convenience, ease of use, and generally satisfying taste. You can find a wide array of dressings in any grocery store, making it relatively easy to find one you like.

However, when I began paying closer attention to my food choices, dressings and sauces were one of the first areas I scrutinized. It wasn’t until I started reading labels and monitoring the sugar content in my salad dressings and condiments that I realized how much added sugar I consumed daily. For instance, a couple of scoops of peanut butter in the morning, some store-bought dressing at lunch, a pre-made marinade for dinner, and the grams of added sugar accumulated significantly. Thankfully, crafting a delicious homemade salad dressing is quite straightforward; you just need a bit of know-how.

Advertisement:

Harvest Salad with Maple Dressing

For this autumnal harvest salad, I aimed to create a dressing that encapsulated a distinct Canadian essence and employed natural sugar instead of refined sugar. Therefore, I opted for the classic choice of maple syrup. Just a drizzle of maple syrup elevates this traditional oil and vinegar-style dressing, imparting a delightful sweetness to balance the flavors. Not only is this autumnal harvest salad perfect for serving a crowd, but with its hearty ingredients, it also refrigerates well for days, growing even more delectable with time.

Autumn Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

One of the best aspects of this autumn harvest salad is that you can prepare it in advance and store it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Advertisement:

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 1 bunch of curly kale
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 small butternut squash
  • 1 apple (Gala or Honeycrisp)
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup pecans
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese (optional)
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • A pinch of black pepper

Instructions

  • Start by roasting the butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F and, while it’s warming up, prepare the butternut squash. Peel and halve it, remove the seeds with a spoon, and cut it into cubes.
  • Place the cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork. Once cooked, set it aside to cool. (This step can be done in advance.)
  • While the squash is roasting, prepare the salad. Wash the kale leaves and pat them dry. Remove the tough ribs, chop or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces, and transfer them to a large bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage it into the leaves until they become darker in color. Set it aside until you’re ready to assemble the salad; this will make the kale more tender.
  • Prepare the dressing by adding the ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisking to combine.
  • Once the squash has cooled, complete the rest of the salad. Slice the fennel as thinly as possible using a knife or mandoline, and chop the apple into thin, bite-size pieces while leaving the skin on.
  • Add the roasted squash, fennel, and apple to the kale in the bowl, then top with pumpkin seeds, pecans, and goat cheese.
  • Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 240 calories
  • Sugar: 8 grams
  • Fat: 19 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 16 grams
  • Fiber: 4 grams
  • Protein: 6 grams

Next: Creamy Tomato and Mushroom Chicken
READ IT!
Advertisement:

Thanks for your SHARES!

You May Also Like

Add a comment

Latest posts

added sugars antioxidants Beet recipes beet storage coleslaw copper Digestive Health Feta cheese flavonoids folate fresh beets hard-boiled eggs health benefits heart disease heart health high blood pressure immune function kidney stones manganese nitrates nutrients Pickled beets pickled beets ingredients pickled beets instructions pickled beets recipe polyphenols probiotics recipe ideas salads Salt side dishes store-bought pickled beets type 2 diabetes

Pickled Beets Recipe and Health Benefits

Jamie Oliver’s Creamy Mediterranean Vanilla Cheesecake: A Dreamy, Impressive Dessert That’s Dead Easy to Make

baking with honey basic roll cake delicious dessert recipe easy baking recipe homemade cake recipe honey Swiss roll moist Swiss roll soft sheet cake Swiss roll cake

Delicious Homemade Swiss Roll Cake Recipe with Honey – Easy and Moist!

Appetizer Awesome Blossom Dipping Sauce Crispy Onion Rings Dipping sauce Homemade Appetizers Homemade Onion Rings Make-Ahead Onion Rings. Onion Ring Recipe Onion Ring Serving Ideas restaurant-style side dish

Crispy Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce

butternut squash soup Common Questions. cutting butternut squash easy variations fall recipes ingredients make-ahead Perfect roasted butternut squash roasted vegetables roasting method selecting and storing butternut squash simple roasted butternut squash recipe tips Tutorial ways to serve

Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

Active Dry Yeast Bread Flour Cloverleaf Rolls Dinner Rolls holiday make-ahead Milk Bread Recipe tips

The Softest Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

Balsamic Vinegar Basil Burrata Cheese Caprese Salad Heirloom Tomatoes olive oil Recipe Summer Salad Tomato Burrata Salad

Tomato Burrata Salad Recipe

5-Seed Bread Artisan Bread Bread Flour Bread Making Bread Recipe Crusty Loaf Dutch Oven Baking Dutch Oven Bread easy baking Homemade Bread No-Knead Bread Sandwich Recipes Toasted Seeds

Easy Dutch Oven Bread Recipe

baking soda buttermilk Common Questions. easy recipe freezing holiday favorite. Irish Soda Bread no kneading quick bread raisins recipe instructions tips

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Appetizer Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bagels Crackers Creamy Crostini Easy Holidays Homemade make-ahead olives party Pita chips pretzels Recipe Roasted Peppers Salami serving ideas storage tips Tortilla Chips Valentina’s Corner Vegetables

Easy Classic Cheese Ball Recipe