Vegan Holiday Salad with Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, Kale, and Spiced Pepitas

This Fall when More Pleaze was asked to cater a California ranch wedding we put together a custom five course vegetarian menu showcasing the freshest farmer’s market menu. This salad was our favorite and I’ve since replicated it for a handful of yoga retreats. This vegan holiday salad transitions seamlessly from Autumn to Winter and is sure to be a hit at any holiday dinner. 

Have fun with the edible flowers and feel free to substitute any squash – including pumpkin – for the butternut squash. If you don’t like spicy substitute cumin or cinnamon for the cayenne on the pumpkin seeds. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 2 cups)
• 1 lb kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces (about 5-6 cups)
• 1 pomegranate, seeded (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup edible flowers
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon ginger juice or 2 tablespoons fresh ginger
• 1 dash cayenne
• 1 dash cumin
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Prep butternut squash, kale, and pomegranate.
3. On combine butternut squash cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange evenly on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven.
4. In the meantime combine pumpkin seeds with 1 teaspoon olive oil, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a pan and bake for 10-15 minutes or until seeds begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
5. In a blender or mason jar combine 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon, ginger, honey, cumin, salt and pepper. Combine and sample. Adjust seasonings as needed. In a large bowl, combine kale with 2 tablespoons dressing, salt, and pepper. Massage lightly until kale is evenly coated with oil and begins to wilt slightly. Taste and add more dressing if des
6. Assemble salad. Toss kale with half of butternut squash, pomegranate, and pumpkin seeds. Garnish with remaining ingredients and edible flowers.

Serves 4 dinner salads or 6 starter salads.