Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad on a bed of Raw Kale and

By mollye

I got this recipe from my friend Mari Yeckel. I tried it out on a group of burly men. They loved it. This is a winner.

Ingredients

• For the salad:
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• drizzle of olive oil (enough to coat the squash)
• s/p
• 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 medium red onion, minced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 ripe avocado, cut into long slices
• For the dressing:
• 1-2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• 4 heaping tbsp well-stirred tahini
• 2 tsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil (more to taste)
• For the quinoa:
• 1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• For the kale:
• 1 bunch curly kale, washed, stems removed, and torn into bit size pieces
• pinch of salt
• drizzle of tahini dressing
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Method:
Preheat oven to 425°F
In a large bowl, combine squash, oil, garlic, allspice, and pinch of s/p until squash is coated. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once, or until soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a bowl, whisk together lemon juice and garlic. Add in tahini and whisk away. Add in the water and olive oil and season to taste. You may need to add a bit more oil or water to thin it out.
While the squash is cooling, make the quinoa. In a medium sauce pan, bring quinoa and broth to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.
Place kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and start massaging the leaves to sweat them. They should look shiny and soft. Toss with apple cider vinegar and a good drizzle of tahini dressing. Set aside.
Once squash has cooled a bit, combine with chickpeas, cilantro (save a tbsp or so for garnish), red onions, and dressing. Start with just a spoonful of dressing and add more until squash is coating to your liking. (If you have leftovers, adding the rest of the dressing the next day is the best).
Plating:
In wide shallow bowls (if you have them. Plates work fine too) make a bed with the kale, and place one serving of quinoa on top. With a large spoon, pile a heap of squash salad on top of quinoa. Garnish with slices of avocado, a small dollop of tahini, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Serve to your guest and let the compliments start coming.