I know it’s not really fall anymore, but this salad just looked too good to wait until next fall to make! The foods in it are some of my favorites: sweet potatoes, butternut squash and dates. They also happen to be “superfoods,” full of nutrition and good for your body. This salad was part of our big meal on New Year’s Eve – we served it with salmon (and the apple tart in the background of this photo) and it was delicious!
Superfood Fall Salad
Recipe from Del Sole
Serves 10
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 large sweet potato
1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more
1/2 cup dried cranberries
12 pitted dates, sliced
1/2 cup basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, divided
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut into one-inch pieces, or however big/small you want them for the salad. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg into the cubed squash. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Start checking it after 25 minutes or so, so that it does not cook too much and get mushy. When finished roasting, set aside, keeping any juices to add to the salad later for additional flavor.
2. While squash is cooking, boil water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook rice for 30 minutes or until cooked. Drain and mix in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then set aside.
3. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small chunks, like the squash. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of olive oil with 1/4 cup of maple syrup and mix well. Pour over the sweet potatoes and add some salt and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, stirring to coat. Roast at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Keep any juices.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, roasted squash, roasted sweet potato, flaxseeds, cranberries, dates and any juices from the roasted vegetables. Sprinkle basil over the top. You can serve it slightly warm or cold – we liked it both ways!
