The Perfect Fall Salad!

I love fall and I absolutely love salads... And I think I just may have managed to reach perfection when it comes to combining fall flavors- and colors- into a salad bowl. I have made my fair share of salad combos in my many years of daily salad consumption and I can truly declare this arugula salad mixed with roasted butternut squash and topped with chopped pecans, crumbled gorgonzola cheese and succulent (and oh, so good for you) pomegranate seeds to be my winner in the fall category. Hands down. It is not only beautiful (yes, breathtakingly beautiful!) to look at, but more importantly- it will send your taste buds over the moon and back with every. single. bite. Bursting with richness of flavors, delighting with a variety of textures, and so esthetically pleasing to the eye, this is by far The Perfect Fall Salad.

 

Ingredients:

(serves 2-4, depending on whether you are serving it as a first course or as an entrée)

3 cups arugula
1 cup roasted butternut squash *
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
a simple drizzle of olive oil and the vinegar of your choice, to taste
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, lay arugula and top with butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, chopped pecans, and gorgonzola cheese. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar just before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy as a first course at lunch or as a light but super satisfying and nourishing dinner entree.

* I roast peeled and chopped butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil in a 450F oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until cooked through. Sometimes I add a chopped onion as well- it adds a nice flavor when it roasts and gets caramelized. It's a great side dish or an addition to salads, such as this one.

Arugula, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Gorgonzola Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

This is hands down one of the salads that I can literally eat every. single. day. My family is a big fan of roasted sweet potatoes and roasted cauliflower, so these vegetables are prepared on a weekly basis in our house. :) Whenever I have them ready and roasted to go, I use some of the leftovers in this salad. It is quick, easy, amazingly yummy and very filling- my go to lunch. I drizzle it with a red wine vinaigrette I make myself, but you can certainly use any dressing of your choice.

Arugula, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Gorgonzola Salad

Ingredients:
3 cups arugula
1/2 cup roasted sweet potatoes *
1/2 cup roasted cauliflower **
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese (or feta if you are not a gorgonzola fan)
drizzle of red wine vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients in a salad bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette of your choice. Enjoy!

* The way I usually roast sweet potatoes is: I chop them in chunks, add some chopped onions, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and roast them for about 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees F, stirring occasionally.

** I roast cauliflower by separating the florets of 1 head, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and drizzling them with 1/4 olive oil which I have warmed up in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds with 1-2 cloves of minced garlic. This infuses the olive oil with the taste of garlic and makes the cauliflower really delicious as it roasts- at 425 degrees F for about 25-30, stirring a couple of times. I sometimes sprinkle it with a handful of parmesan or romano cheese a few minutes before I take it out of the oven. It is to die for! If you have never made cauliflower this way, you have to try it! You will never want to eat it any other way...



Red Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp fresh dill or parsley
salt and freshly grounf black pepper to taste

Directions:
I usually put all the ingredients in my Kitchen Bullet and run it for a few seconds and Voila! :)
But you can also put everything in a mason jar and shake it until you get a homogenous mixture or just whisk the ingredients together in bowl. It is a delicious salad dressing that I make on an almost daily basis for everybody at home: so much better than store-bought ones!

Avocado, Kale and Garbanzo Salad

I don't know about you, but I have been craving spring so badly, that the only food I can even bring myself to eat lately is salads. I love, love, love salads and I am always on the look-out for different recipes which combine ingredients I enjoy in more original ways. This super quick, yet absolutely delicious salad is a take on exactly such a recipe: familiar ingredients which I never thought to combine before. It is light but satisfying and it makes for a perfect lunch or dinner. Bonus points: it comes together in literally 5 minutes! What's not to love?!

Ingredients:
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 cups chopped kale
2-3 scallions, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (or more) black or kalamata olives, sliced
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I omitted because I have family members who are lactose intolerant)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (not in the pictures, but definitely delicious and colorful with them)
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix until well blended. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: twopeasandtheirpod.com