Winter Kale Salad with Shaved Asparagus, Butternut Squash, & Sunflower Seeds
This year, we extended our Thanksgiving week a day longer than we normally do (on the front end) which meant we had a few nights of family dinners before the actual big Thanksgiving meal. Each year we try to think of things to make that are yummy, easy, and something everyone likes. So one night we decided to do 2 types of turkey chili with 2 big salads. One salad was a kale & broccoli slaw and the other was a delicious winter kale salad which is what I have reinterpreted here. The one we made at Thanksgiving used arugula, very thinly sliced raw asparagus, roasted room temperature cauliflower florets, craisins, sunflower seeds and a homemade vinaigrette using lemon juice, olive oil, champagne vinegar, and mustard. So this week I thought along with pan seared wild salmon & roasted cauliflower it would be nice to make a modified version of that salad so today I'm sharing my modified version! PS the other dinner was giant grilled prawns with homemade pesto, linguini & clams, roasted zucchini, and a Caprese salad! Side note - the version I made at home used up the leftover shaved asparagus I had from this yummy turkey sausage and veggie soup, inspired by my plans to reduce food waste and use the WHOLE veggie from the Imperfect Produce campaign I’m working on!
What I Used:
- Half a bunch of chopped lacinato kale
- Half a bunch of raw shaved asparagus
- 1 small diced, roasted butternut squash
- 1/4 cup of salted sunflower seeds
How To:
- Roast the squash ahead of time (I did it a few days before and kept it in the fridge) with oil and a pinch of salt at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden/brown
- For the salad, toss all of these ingredients together with a homemade vinaigrette made of grapeseed oil, white balsamic vinegar, and a small spoonful of dijon mustard.