Butternut Squash, Kale, Pecan, Cranberry, Apple Salad with Maple-Lime Dressing – this healthy, gluten free salad combines lots of Autumn flavors and is a great side dish / appetizer during the Fall/Winter season!
Butternut squash, kale, pecans, dried cranberries and apple go so well together in this healthy salad.
Maple-Lime dressing is perfect for kale: it softens and balances its flavor. I really enjoyed this salad, and so did my husband who would usually not be into greens like kale. It’s all about the dressing and the right ingredients! Kale does not overwhelm this salad: it’s just one of many ingredients that work really well together!
Butternut Squash, Kale, Pecan, Cranberry, Apple Salad with Maple-Lime Dressing - this healthy, gluten free salad combines lots of Autumn flavors and is a great side dish / appetizer during the Fall/Winter season!
- 1/2 pound butternut squash , peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes (Yields about 2 cups of uncooked cubed butternut squash)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 bunch kale , chopped, thick stems removed (about 4 cups of packed chopped kale)
- 1 red apple sweet, cored and chopped
- 1 cup pecans toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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Preheat oven to 400 F. Line the baking sheet with foil.
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In a medium bowl, combine cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded),1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix.
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Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once half-way through baking, until softened.
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Remove from the oven.
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In a large bowl, add chopped kale, chopped apple, lightly toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and cooked butternut squash.
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In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients, and whisk.
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Pour the dressing over the salad and toss carefully to combine.
Can you prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate or does it need to be served shortly after combining the ingredients and dressing?
You can combine all the salad ingredients without the salad dressing and refrigerate the assembled salad (without the salad dressing). Then, just toss all the salad ingredients together with the dressing before serving. Also, if you like your pecans crunchy, then don’t combine them with the rest of the salad ingredients, and just add them on top right before serving.
Not a big fan of maple syrup. Is there another flavoring that would work?
Honey will work great!