Have you, by chance, ever made this salad? I updated the images on this recipe and plucked it from the archives to capture your attention. This stunning dish might, and with good cause, be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner. Golden squash and glittering pomegranate arils have an excellent flavor.
A wonderful winter squash is the delicata. Its skin is so soft that you don’t need to peel it before roasting, which makes it special. Of course, the squash pairs well with the maple-balsamic sauce, arugula, pomegranate, and goat cheese, but so do apples and pears. Try sliced fruit instead if your oven is already full, or just roast the squash the day before.
I’m constantly astounded by the similarities in my life across the years and the seasons when I read through older blog articles. Seven years ago, when I first published this article, I was daydreaming about a better home/office combination. Since then, I’ve moved up from my cramped apartment to a small rental property where I created the cookbook, then to a brand-new apartment with a useful kitchen. After our marriage, I moved into my husband’s comfortable house, which we have since outgrown.
In fact, we’re currently in the process of buying our ideal house. It’s perfect in every way, and the kitchen was just rebuilt and is so lovely I can scarcely stand it. We’ll move in time for Christmas, and I can’t wait to decorate our tree and spend time in front of the fire.
To be quite honest, all I truly care about right now is keeping Cookie healthy, yet moving into our new house marks a happy conclusion to a really trying year. I’ve kept my earlier thoughts below to emphasize how much effort it took to get here. I hope it’s warm and comfortable for you out there.
From 2013:
I’m letting November go through my fingers. I’ve been putting in a lot of work and a little play, with little downtime in between. I won’t bore you with the specifics of running a small business, but I can assure you that life at Cookie and Kate HQ is not all puppies and pomegranate salads. While I’m dealing with the details, I complain, but in my heart I adore it all. It’s just me running this little blog/business.
In addition, I’ve been thinking about moving and establishing some ambitious objectives, designing a new website, and trying to figure out how to do it all at once. My fairy godmother’s magic wand is nowhere to be seen.
This cannot continue forever. No amount of yoga has been able to ease my continual hunch over my laptop, and poor Cookie has been locked up indoors since the temperature dipped below 50. I need a better work environment and some warmer leggings.
I actually require a better overall living arrangement. My grandmother’s patio chairs are leaning against the wall of my bedroom, my dining room has been converted into a desk, and my portable dishwasher is ruining the feng shui in my now-cold sunroom. purely for the purpose of taking food photos. Even though my ideal house is still a long way off, I need to improve.
Also read: Super Simple Arugula Salad
I hope to create a cozy eating area someday soon for my girlfriends to use when they visit for girls’ night. In order to avoid rushing back and forth between the sunroom and the kitchen like a clown, the eating area should actually be close to the kitchen. I want a kitchen with a disposal and more than three feet of counter space more than anything else. You’ll be able to see how much room I have to work with if you place a tiny welcome mat on your kitchen counter.
Perhaps my demands are excessive for one person, but I won’t wait around for someone else to step up. It’s amazing and terrible that it’s all on me. I’ve made the decision to stay working despite the fact that I’d rather to lose my sleep-deprived self today in JFK conspiracy theories and dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Several of my objectives are almost within reach.
INGREDIENTS
- Salad
- two little delicata squash (about 2 pounds total)
- Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- pinch of salt, fine
- 5.0 ounces (about 5 heaping cups) or mixed baby greens or arugula
- Arils from one cup-sized pomegranate, or a large handful of dried cherries or cranberries
- 1/3 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or pecans, chopped3 to 4 ounces, or roughly
- 1/4 cup goat cheese or feta cheese crumbles
- Balsamic-maple vinaigrette
- Extra virgin olive oil, 3 teaspoons
- Balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons
- Maple syrup, two tablespoons
- Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon
- 14 teaspoon of salt, fine
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set the oven’s temperature to 425 degrees. Clean the squash, then use a knife to remove any rough skin patches. Cut the squash into rounds that are 12 inches wide. Scoop the seeds from each round with a spoon. Add a healthy tablespoon of olive oil and some salt to the squash. Apply a thin layer of olive oil with your fingers to the squash’s outside surfaces. Bake the squash for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until it is soft and golden.
- The pepitas or pecans should be heated in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until they are fragrant and just beginning to turn brown around the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Get rid of the heat.
- Making the dressing: Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and salt in a small bowl. To taste, liberally season with black pepper.
- In a sizable serving bowl, combine the squash, arugula, pomegranate, pepitas, and crumbled feta once the squash has had a chance to cool for a little while. When it’s time to serve, sprinkle on the dressing and toss the ingredients together gently. Serve quickly.
NOTES
MAKE IT VEGAN OR DAIRY FREE: Serve the feta on the side or omit it entirely.
REMOVE THE NUTS: Use pepitas rather than nuts.
STORAGE RECOMMENDATIONS: It is best to keep the salad and dressing apart and toss each serving as needed (the salad will keep well for about 3 days with this method). After being exposed to the dressing, the arugula will wilt, but even then, it should last for a day or two.