Introducing …
My new favorite salad!
I’ll be honest. I ate everything in that salad bowl. And then licked it clean. This is so stinkin’ good.
Whenever I roast a chicken, I always try to squeeze in all the other foods I want to roast for the week. Some butternut squash and beets tagged along with this week’s chicken.
I had beets with the greens still attached and didn’t want to just toss them, so I decided to make a salad instead. Then I decided roasted beets would pair well with the greens. And then I realized the smooth, creamy texture of butternut squash would contrast the bite of the roasted beets! I toasted the squash seeds in the oven for another texture. And then I was so excited I ran to the store for some goat cheese and capers.
Oh mama.
Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
1 bunch of beets, including their greens
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup roasted butternut squash, cubed (and a pat of butter or coconut oil for roasting)
¼ cup pepitas (toasted butternut squash seeds) (and a little butter or coconut oil for roasting)
2 oz. goat cheese or feta
2 Tbsp. capers
for the dressing
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar juice
2 Tbsp. juice of an orange or lemon juice if you don’t have an orange
1 Tbsp. raw, local honey
2 Tbsp. water, or as needed
big pinch of unrefined sea salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic, finely minced (I used my pickled garlic)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Cut the butternut squash lengthwise, remove the seeds and pulp (save the seeds!), and place in a large baking dish, flesh side up. Pour just enough filtered water in the dish to cover the bottom of the dish (you don’t need a lot of water, it just keeps the squash from burning/sticking to the pan).
Rub the squash flesh with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at @400 F for about 40 min or until the squash is fork tender. (Time always varies depending on the squash, sometimes it takes longer.)
Seperate the squash seeds from the pulp, wash them, and place them on a baking dish. Add a small amount of melted butter or coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast them for about 20 minutes, tossing them with a spatula half way.
Roast the beets in the oven along with the squash and seeds. To do this, wash and peel the beets. Cut them in small, 1 1/2 in chunks and place in a baking dish. Toss the beets with a little coconut oil or melted butter (enough to lightly coat them) and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes, tossing them 1-2 times while roasting.
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by wisking all the ingredients together.
Once all of this is roasted, add the beets and 1 cup of butternut squash to a salad bowl. Pour dressing over the mixture. Then add washed, chopped beet greens, capers, chopped green onions and 1/4 cup of the roasted pepitas.
Toss ingredients together, then add crumbled goat cheese on top.
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