This beautiful autumn salad is soon to be a favorite! I recommend a little prep the night before to make the day of prep a breeze. Simply roast the beet and acorn squash the evening before, then the day of cook/ prep will take only 20 minutes!
SERVES TWO (420 calories per serving)
2 beets, roasted and diced
1 ½ T extra virgin coconut oil, divided
1 medium acorn squash, peeled, seeded
and cut into ½ inch half-moon slices
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
3 T maple syrup (grade B)
½ cup pomegranate seeds
3 cups mixed greens
Dressing
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T maple syrup (grade B)
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 T shallot, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
PRE-PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE:
The night before, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Use a fork to poke holes in the beets, then wrap them individually in aluminum foil with a small drizzle of coconut oil. Place in oven on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 1 hour, or until the beets are easily pierced with a fork (time is very dependent on the size of the beet!). When done, simply put the beet, foil wrap and all in a bowl in the frig overnight.
Acorn squash can be daunting to cut. If you have a really sharp knife and feel confident cutting up a raw squash into small slivers, then feel free to cook your squash the night that you make this recipe. Another option is to cook the squash halved the night before, allow it to cool, then cut it into slivers and bake the rest of the way the day that you make this recipe. Here’s how you do it:
While you are cooking the beet:
Cook a halved acorn squash (cut in half, scoop the seeds)
Place squash in a shallow baking pan, cut side down.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until tender.
Remove from oven, place in a bowl and keep this in the refrigerator overnight.
The day that you prepare this recipe, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash up into thinly sliced half-moons (leave the skin on) and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and drizzle with the maple syrup, then roast again for another 10 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Set aside and let cool.
DAY OF PREP:
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the sliced acorn squash with the remaining coconut oil, salt and pepper. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with the maple syrup, then roast again for another 10 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Set aside and let cool.
Remove the cooled beet from the refrigerator, peel the skin off (it should slide right off) and dice.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the balsamic, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper for the dressing. Once blended, stir in the minced shallots.
To serve, place the arugula or mixed greens on a large serving platter. Toss the roasted beets and squash lightly together in a large bowl with the dressing and place on top of the greens. Then sprinkle the platter with pomegranate seeds.
SERVES TWO: prepare tonight’s dinner by placing 1.5 cups of mixed greens on a plate, top with ½ the beet and acorn salad mixture. Place the other half of the beet and acorn salad mixture in the refrigerator for tomorrow night’s dinner.