For me, the holidays are a time of traditions. There is something comforting in knowing exactly where I will be Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the people I will be with and the food that will be on the table. My mom’s delicious pecan pie and my mother-in-law’s famous broccoli casserole are holiday staples that I look forward to each and every year. I also love taking part in other people’s favourite holiday traditions, like my father-in-law who loves to watch It’s A Wonderful Life every single Christmas Eve despite our moaning and groaning that we have seen it countless times now (but secretly I love watching it too!). Traditions are such a wonderful thing.

One of my personal favourite holiday foodie traditions is making a festive salad. I have always been a big salad fan so I love being able to bring a giant salad to a holiday dinner that is filled with delicious and nutritious ingredients in hopes to get others on the salad train too. Even though salad is seen as “healthy”, which often makes people think boring and flavourless, it certainly doesn’t have to be! I have made it a personal goal to always make my salads so good that people go back for seconds or even thirds!

This salad is no exception -- it’s packed with some super yummy ingredients like roasted butternut squash (nature’s candy!), creamy goat feta and tangy balsamic vinegar.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do and maybe it will even become a part of your holiday dinner traditions too! Happy Holidays!

Festive Winter Salad

— makes 4-6 servings —

Ingredients for the salad

1 small or 1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1-inch sized pieces
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup tri-colour quinoa or rice blend, cooked and cooled
1 small red onion, sliced crosswise into half moons
Arils from 1 pomegranate
4 large handfuls fields greens or 1 large bunch lacinato kale (stemmed and chopped if using kale)
1/2 cup goat feta, crumbled into small chunks

Ingredients for the dressing

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp balsamic glaze
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 375F and spread the cubed butternut squash on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Drizzle the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelized. Set aside to cool.
While the squash is roasting, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Once the squash has cooled to room temperature, place greens in a bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to coat.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl (squash, beans, quinoa (or rice), red onion, pomegranate arils and feta) and mix with salad tongs until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the salad.
Serve promptly and enjoy!

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