Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash!

How was your Christmas? Did you overindulge? Unfortunately, my husband got the flu and our little sweet pea got a milder version, thankfully.  Hence, not much over eating in our household over this holiday season.  Are you looking for a healthy salad to finish off the year? Well you came to the right place. We are ending this year with a salad, a kale salad with roasted butternut squash.

Kale was at the top of the food trend list for 2014. Many health enthusiasts referred to kale as the new “superfood” .  Kale was every where, kale chips, salads, pesto, brownies etc. While I am a health enthusiast, I was on the Kale ban wagon for most of the 2014, ok not totally. You must be thinking what dietitian is not all about KALE.  Let me confess, I didn’t like KALE, it seemed like every kale salad recipe I attempted called for a lemon vinaigrette. I just didn’t fancy the combination, plus I always found it tough to eat, as a salad that is.  Then one day I decided I was going to give kale one more try AND I fell in love.   The trick to kale  is to remove it from the stems, chop it finely and massage it with the dressing. The longer it sits the better it tastes.  Unlike other green salads, kale can be made ahead of time and does not wilt.  This salad is part of my Sunday meal preparation for weekday lunches. I like to add a roasted vegetable for extra flavor, in this recipe I roasted butternut squash in honey with salt and pepper. Howe er, you can add any vegetables such as sweet potatoes. For dinner, I would add a wild salmon filet. The first time I served this salad was at our daughter’s first birthday. My reluctant husband gave me a glare as probably many others, but in the end I got the thumbs up from him as well as the rest of the guests.

Lets talk about why kale is sooo good for you!  Kale is nutrient dense, low in calories, and rich in fat soluble vitamins A, C and K. Kale is an excellent source of phytochemical’s lutein and zeaxanthin which play an important  role in eye health. Like other green leafy vegetables, kale has been linked to lower levels of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. If your looking to increase your vegetable consumption in the new year, give this kale salad a try. What Kale salads do you like?

Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash!

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Zest Nutrition

Yields 6

10 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale, washed.
• 1 cup of butternut squash
• 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1tsp. honey
• salt and pepper to taste
• Salad dressing:
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2TBSP white wine vinegar
• 1TBSP Dijion mustard
• 1TBSP honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. ). Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. ). Remove kale from ribs and chop finely
3. ). Peel butternut squash and chopped into 1 inch cubes
4. ). Toss butternut squash with olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper and place on cooking pan
5. ). Roast butternut squash for 20 minutes or until soft
6. ). Whisk dressing ingredients together or place in mason jar and shake well.
7. ). Toss kale in dressing and massage into kale.
8. ). Add butternut squash and pumpkin seeds to kale and toss

7.8.1.2

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http://www.zestnutrition.ca/kale-salad-roasted-butternut-squash/

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