FALL HARVEST SALAD
This recipe was modified from “As Easy as Apple Pie”.
Great for lunch, as a light dinner, or at your next fall gathering!
INGREDIENTS:
Butternut squash – peeled, cubed, and roasted in the oven. If you want to save time, you can buy pre-cut butternut squash.
Kale – any variety, chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Quinoa – you can use white, multi-color, or red quinoa for this recipe. Don’t forget to rinse it before cooking to get rid of the bitterness.
Apples – use a nice crunchy apple, chopped or sliced. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Jazz apples are our favorites.
Ferris Nut Co. Dried cranberries – add sweetness and a pop of color.
Ferris Nut Co. Pepitas – pecans and roasted pumpkin seeds add crunch, flavor, and healthy fats.
Crumbled feta cheese – lends creaminess and a salty punch.
Frederik's by Meijer Sweet Apple Dressing – an artful balance of light and tangy apple cider vinegar and notes of sweet apple, this bright dressing is the perfect base for your dream salad.
DIRECTIONS:
Roast the butternut squash – toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast until tender.
Prepare the quinoa – cook the quinoa and once it’s ready, fluff it with a fork and let it cool.
Massage the kale – kale can be tough and bitter. Massage it with half of the dressing to bring out the sweetness and make it more tender. Add the kale to a salad bowl with 1/2 of the dressing, and toss until it’s evenly coated.
Assemble – add the quinoa, butternut squash, and apples into the bowl with the kale, and toss to combine.
Serve – divide the salad between 3 plates, add the toppings, drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top, and serve.
ALTERNATIVES:
Greens – Baby arugula or spinach would also be delicious.
Butternut squash – you could also use sweet potatoes or another kind of winter squash.
Cheese – swap the feta cheese with goat cheese or blue cheese.
Nuts – Try walnuts, pistachios, or candied pecans.
Quinoa – Swap in wild rice, farro, or your favorite grain.
Fruit – use pears, figs, or pomegranate seeds instead of apples.
Dried berries – dried tart cherries or raisins are a great alternative.
Make it vegan/dairy-free – leave out the cheese and sprinkle nutritional yeast over the top.
Add protein – toss in some chickpeas, leftover shredded chicken, sliced steak, or tofu.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan)
INGREDIENTS:
3 tbs sesame oil (or sub coconut or avocado oil)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
4 cups cubed butternut squash
3 cups diced sweet potatoes
2 1/4- 1/2 tsp salt ( & pepper to taste )
2 tbsp + 1 tsp True Goodness Organic Curry Powder
1 tsp True Goodness Organic Turmeric
1 tsp True Goodness Organic Ground Paprika
3 cups Meijer Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk
3 tbsp unsweetened Ferris Nut Co. All Natural Peanut Butter
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1-3 tbsp coconut sugar (or sub maple syrup)
FOR SERVING (optional):
Ferris Nut Co. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Cilantro
Full-fat coconut cream
DIRECTIONS:
In a large Stoneware pot, heat sesame oil over medium heat.
Add onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and continue cooking for another
2-3 minutes.
Add in squash, sweet potatoes, and spices. Stir well to coat. Cook for 5-7 minutes stirring a few times.
Add broth and coconut milk and bring to boil. Then, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until squash is fork-tender (about
40 minutes).
After the veggies have softened, add peanut butter, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and coconut sugar. Stir well.
Use either an immersion blender or a regular blender to purée soup until smooth. If using a blender, make sure it's heat-sale.
Taste and adjust spices as desired.
Garnish with coconut cream, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds as desired.
Pumpkin Pie Dip
This recipe was modified from “Delish.com”.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Meijer heavy whipping cream
1 (3.4-oz.) box instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup Meijer canned 100% pure pumpkin
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Shortbread cookies, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
In a stand mixer, beat heavy whipping cream and vanilla pudding mix until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and stir to combine, then chill if desired.
Sprinkle over top with pumpkin pie spice. Serve with shortbread cookies.
ALTERNATIVES:
Heavy Cream Substitute - If you’re looking for a more decadent dip then cream cheese would be a great addition. Or if you’d like to keep it less “cream” heavy, place in whole-fat Greek yogurt.
Shortbread Substitute - apple slices, cannoli shells, graham crackers, ginger snap cookies, or vanilla wafers would also be delicious.