Healthy Fall Dinner Ideas | Healthy Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple
Easy, Healthy, and Flavorful Fall Dinner Ideas – This Healthy Fall Salad is a Simple, Delightful, and Highly Nutritious Appetizer for Various Occasions!
Add color, freshness, and seasonal flavors to your thanksgiving dinner table with this Healthy Fall Salad. It contains sliced apples, roasted butternut squash, and quinoa mixed in an apple cider vinaigrette to make a simple, yet nutritious salad for busy weeknight dinners, casual gatherings or holiday festivities. This delightful salad is garnished with different seeds, buts, and crumbled cheese.
Why you’ll love this Healthy Fall Salad?
It’s fresh, flavorful and satisfying: This apple Fall salad contains a good combination of crisp, crunchy and creamy ingredients and each bite promises sweet and savory flavors balanced with a tangy and bright apple cider vinaigrette.
It’s a nutritious meal: This apple and butternut squash salad is packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. All of these elements make this salad great for your overall health and for your weight loss journey.
It’s a great Fall side dish: This healthy salad makes a great side dish to enjoy during different Fall gatherings; the colors reflect perfectly the Autumn season and the 2 main ingredients are in season.
What ingredients do I need for this Salad recipe?
Ingredients :
1 butternut squash
½ tablespoon oil (to taste)
Salt and pepper
½ cup quinoa or rice
2 cups chopped kale leaves
Two small apples or pears (sliced or diced as you prefer)
For Toppings:
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup pecans (chopped)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (low fat)
2 tablespoons nuts or seeds
For the Vinaigrette of this fall salad:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinaigrette
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1.5 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove (minced)
How to make this Healthy Fall Salad?
The first step, is to roast the butternut squash. On a baking sheet, mix the peeled and diced butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast for about 16 minutes in a preheated oven to 400 degrees F. (Flip the dices halfway through cooking). Remove from the oven and put side.
Cook the quinoa and set aside until needed.
Then make the dressing by whisking extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinaigrette, maple syrup or honey, Dijon mustard and 1 minced garlic clove.
Use ½ of the dressing to massage the kale to soften a bit, then add it to a mixing bowl filled with the remaining half of the dressing.
Finally, assemble your salad by adding the apples, quinoa, and butternut squash and toss gently to combine.
Use some or all of the toppings mentioned above to garnish your healthy fall salad. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips and Variations:
Which quinoa or rice should I use for this Healthy Fall Salad recipe? You can either use white or red quinoa; the first one provides a mild taste, while the latter had a nuttier flavor. If you prefer to use rice, you can opt for brown rice; it’s healthy and has an earthy taste.
How can I replace feta cheese? I think goat cheese makes a good substitute, but you can also use Ricotta, Blue cheese, or Cotija.
How can I replace the apple cider dressing? Whenever I’m not sure about which dressing to use; I go for a mix or olive oil and vinegar since basic can never go wrong. In this case however, you can use a lemon vinaigrette, a balsamic vinaigrette, or maple vinaigrette.
Which other fruit or veggies can I add ?. You can add pomegranate seeds, sliced red onion, pickled beets or thinly sliced carrot.
How can I store any leftovers? If you made the salad hours or a day before serving, then store the salad, dressing, and toppings separately so as to keep the elements fresh and preserve their texture. In case you had any leftovers after serving your salad, then simply place in the fridge in an airtight container and eat it within 1 or 2 days.
How can I serve this Healthy Fall Salad?
This healthy fall salad can be served as a snack or as a light lunch or dinner. It also makes a great appetizer during holiday dinners or casual family gatherings.
To serve this tasty and nutritious salad at a Thanksgiving dinner, simply lay out your salad in a large bowl or platter, garnish with herbs, seeds, nuts, and cheese and serve in the middle of the table to encourage sharing and enhance the cozy family vibes. Serve it alongside a stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies or any other thanksgiving dishes.
Healthy Fall Dinner Ideas | Healthy Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- ½ tablespoon oil to taste
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup quinoa or rice
- 2 cups chopped kale leaves
- Two small apples or pears sliced or diced as you prefer
- For Toppings
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese low fat
- 2 tablespoons nuts or seeds
- For the Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1.5 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
- The first step, is to roast the butternut squash. On a baking sheet, mix the peeled and diced butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast for about 16 minutes in a preheated oven to 400 degrees F. (Flip the dices halfway through cooking). Remove from the oven and put side.
- Cook the quinoa and set aside until needed.
- Then make the dressing by whisking extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinaigrette, maple syrup or honey, Dijon mustard and 1 minced garlic clove.
- Use ½ of the dressing to massage the kale to soften a bit, then add it to a mixing bowl filled with the remaining half of the dressing.
- Finally, assemble your salad by adding the apples, quinoa, and butternut squash and toss gently to combine.
- Use some or all of the toppings mentioned above to garnish your healthy salad. Enjoy!
