You probably won't believe me when I say that I get just about as excited for vegetables as I do for mac and cheese or doughnuts. But y'all, it's no lie.
Before you exit out of your browser because this is a salad (!!) let me explain myself. I wouldn't be sharing a recipe for salad unless it was really good and a favorite. Trust me on this.
As much as I love neutrals and minimalism in clothing and home decor or whatever, when it comes to food I love color. And I love this salad, because of all the colors and flavors and textures. Yellow orange squash, pink grapefruit, red apples, green kale, and dark red dried cranberries make my eyes and tastebuds happy.
This salad is inspired by one I would get frequently (erm, several times a month) at Flower Child in Austin when we lived there last year. It is the BEST. We would walk there from our apartment for lunch or dinner with Sibbie in tow, and eat lunch on the patio while people watching everyone at the Domain. A couple of things they do differently with their salad include using dried currants and omitting the squash. I went to two stores and couldn't find dried black currants, but if I had found some I would have definitely used them!
While the next month or so is going to be all about holiday baking and sweets and comfort food, I like to balance it all out with as many salads as possible. This one will be made several times over the next few months!
Delicata Squash, Grapefruit, and Cranberry Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
serves 2
Ingredients
for the apple cider vinaigrette
makes about 1 cup - save the leftovers in the fridge for a marinade or another salad!
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup evoo
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbl. dijon mustard
- 2 tbl. honey
- salt and pepper to taste
for the salad
- large bunch of dinosaur kale, leaves removed from stems and washed
- 2 cups roasted delicata squash
- 1 grapefruit, segmented
- 1 apple, chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted, chopped almonds
- a few slices of white cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a mason jar or other jar with lid and shake until all ingredients are mixed together. Alternatively, you can whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
Rip the washed kale leaves into small, bite sized pieces. Add to a large bowl, and toss with as much vinaigrette as desired (we only used a couple of tablespoons). Massage kale leaves with your hands until soft, about 1-2 minutes.
To the bowl, add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Serve evenly between two plates and enjoy!
