Warm Salad of Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale (adapted from BowlofDelicious.com)
If you prep the squash and kale and make the spice mix ahead of time, you can have this on the table in about 35 minutes. Serves four as a main course, six as a side dish.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces (about 2 lbs), seeds reserved
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. coriander
½ tsp. ground ginger
¾ tsp. salt, divided
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bunches kale
Juice of one lemon
Pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 Whisk together ¼ tsp. of salt and all of the remaining spices in a large bowl. Add oil and whisk until combined.
3 Add the squash cubes to the bowl and toss with oil/spice mixture until evenly coated. (You can do this in a lidded container shaking to coat; I just toss with my hands.)
4 Spread squash out evenly on prepared baking sheet. Make sure the pieces don't touch or they will steam, instead of roasting and browning deliciously.
5 Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until browned.
6 While squash is roasting, wash kale and remove from stems. Slice leaves crosswise into narrow ribbons.
7 In a bowl, add remaining ½ tsp. salt and the lemon juice to kale, mixing well. With your hands, massage the kale ribbons; the salt, lemon juice and massage will wilt and tenderize the kale.
8 Rinse pulp from squash seeds and shake excess moisture from them.
9 When squash is done, remove from oven; turn oven off. Slide the parchment onto the counter to cool squash, and sprinkle the squash seeds on the baking sheet. Return the sheet to the oven – the residual heat will toast the seeds. They may need a couple of shakes so they don’t burn.
10 Taste kale; it should be bright and a bit lemony. Adjust seasoning to taste.
11 When squash seeds are toasted, combine kale, squash, seeds, and pomegranate seeds. Toss and serve!