Curried Autumn Salad with Butternut Squash and Lentils
Enjoy this Curried Autumn Salad with roasted butternut squash, lentils, & creamy tahini maple dressing. A warm, hearty vegan dish for fall gatherings.
Servings: 8
Calories: 285kcal
Equipment
- baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- sauce pan medium sized with lid
- serving platter large flat or large salad bowl
Ingredients
Curried Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower
- 3 cups butternut squash fresh, seeds removed, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 2 cups cauliflower fresh, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon curry powder mild Indian curry, dry, ground
- 1 teaspoons ginger powder dried ground (reserve 1 teaspoon for the tahini maple dressing)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooked Lentils (or buy the canned cooked lentils)
- 1 cup lentils green
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2.5 - 3 cups water to cook the lentils
Curried Tahini Maple Dressing
- ⅓ cup tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon curry powder dried ground
- 1 teaspoon ginger dried ground
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder dried ground
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
Putting it All Together with Garnishes
- 4 to 5 cups spinach fresh or massaged kale, greens of choice.
- ¾ cups pecans toasted in a pan with 1 tablespoon on maple syrup and salt to taste
- goji berries or dried cranberries (optional)
Instructions
Roast the Butternut Squash and Cauliflower
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F (218°C ). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the peeled 1 inch prepped butternut squash cubes and cauliflower with olive oil, curry powder, ginger, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Place the prepared vegetables on the line baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the butternut squash and cauliflower are fork tender. Toss halfway during the cooking process.
Cook the Lentils (while the vegetables are roasting)
- Rinse and sort through the lentils for anything that does not belong.
- Place the lentils in a medium pot along with 2.5 to 3 cups water (or about 2 inches of water above the lentils) and 2 bay leaves and bring to a low boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Do NOT overcook!
- Drain, remove the bay leaves and set aside.
Curried Tahini Maple Dressing
- In a medium bowl add the tahini sauce, lemon, curry powder, ginger powder, garlic powder, maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and then slowly add 2 + tablespoons of water to thin so that it is a drizzling consistency all whilst stirring constantly. Set aside.
Garnishes and Putting It All Together
- In a dry medium frying pan, add pecans, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and salt to taste. Stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until toasty warm. Set the maple pecans aside.
- Place the fresh spinach, massaged kale or favorite greens on a large serving platter or large salad bowl.
- Add ½ of the curried tahini maple dressing to the cooked and drained lentils and stir well. Spoon the seasoned lentils of the fresh green salad.
- Next, add the roasted butternut squash and cauliflower over the lentils.
- Garnish with the maple pecans and goji berries or dried cranberries, if desired. Enjoy this autumn salad warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions
If you want to make this autumn salad for a holiday gathering or for lunches, you can prep all the ingredients up to 3 days in advance.
- Prepare the maple tahini dressing up to 3 days in advance and store in a covered sealed container in the refrigerator. If you store it in a jar with a lid or a Tupperware with a lid, you can shake it up right before drizzling on the salad.
- Boil the lentils with the bay leaves up to 3 days in advance. Store in a covered sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Roast the butternut squash and cauliflower up to 3 days in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- Toast the pecans in maple syrup and season with salt up to 7 days in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- Store the kale or spinach separately. Hold off on massaging kale until the day you plan to serve the salad.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Place butternut squash and cauliflower on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8 – 12 minutes or until toasty warm.
- Reheat the lentils for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave until warm.
- Spread the massaged kale or spinach on a large platter.
- Toss ½ of the prepared tahini maple dressing into the lentils.
- Top the kale/spinach with the prepared warm lentils.
- Spoon the toasty warm butternut squash and cauliflower over the lentils.
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad.
- Top with crunchy pecans and goji berries or your favorite toppings.
- Microwave the squash before cutting to make the process easier. First poke a few holes in the squash with your fork to allow some steam to escape. Next, microwave the butternut for about 3 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, stabilize your cutting board with a damp towel underneath. Sharpen your best sturdy knife. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, peel, and chop. BE CAREFUL and keep your fingers away from the blade!
- Roast the butternut squash and cauliflower in a single layer so that it gets browned and toasty. Don’t overlap the ingredients.
- Do not add salt to the cooking lentils as this will make them tough. Wait and season them after cooking.
- Prepare kale: Remove the tough vein. Chop into bite size pieces. Massage the kale with a little olive oil and salt. Kale is ready to eat when it turns from a light green to a dark green as demonstrated in our Autumn Kale Salad
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 684mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7029IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4mg
