Roasted Kabocha Squash Salad With Balsamic & Citrus Dressing

Happy Fall!  I know I'm a few weeks late in getting into the  Autumn spirit...let's just say this tropical girl at heart was stuck in a summer frame of mind as usual.  Then as I walk out everyday lately, the colourful leaves just kept reminding me that it's time to move on and embrace the new season.

So here we go...October calls for squash dishes.  My son is a big lover of this yellow vegetable and if it was up to him, he would have squash soup everyday. I bought a few organic ones from The Big Carrot two days ago and today, I cut up a whole kabocha squash for 2 dishes, one for his soup and another for a roasted squash salad.  We will post the salad recipe now and the soup next week.

In the Philippines, we call "winter squash" "kalabasa" and we didn't really have all the different North American varieties.  It's mostly just kabocha and maybe his cousins autumn cup or buttercup. And so growing up, I was so accustomed to their sweet, creamy and nutty qualities that even now, I'm still more inclined to buy these varieties than maybe a butternut or a delicata.   At any rate, winter squash is a great source of beta-carotene...that yellow/orange pigment in foods.  Beta-carotene is converted by the body into Vitamin A which is an antioxidant. We need this vitamin for good eye health, protection against cancer and heart disease and for healthy skin. You can check this link for a good read about winter squash.

Roasted Kabocha Squash Salad With Balsamic and Citrus Dressing
Ingredients (Preferably Organic)

1/2 of kabocha squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes, about 2 1/2 cups
2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
2 tsp. olive oil
pinch of black pepper

6-7 oz. greens ( I used baby spinach and baby romaine leaves)
1/4 c. thinly sliced red onions
1/4 c. toasted  coconut flakes
3 T. dried Goji berries

Dressing:
1 Tbsp. cold pressed olive oil
2 Tbsp. sulphite-free balsamic vinegar
juice of 1/2 mandarin
pinch of black pepper
optional salt to taste

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the squash into half, peel and scoop the seeds out then cut them into 1" cubes.  Place them in a baking dish.  Add the  olive oil, garlic and black pepper then toss to combine.  Roast until tender but not too mushy approximately 25-30 minutes .  When cooked, cool it down and set aside.
2. While the squash is roasting, dry toast the coconut flakes in a skillet on medium heat until they turn lightly brown and crunchy, about 5 minutes. Prep the greens and slice the onions.
3. Combine the dressing in a small bowl.
4. Assemble the salad by mixing the roasted squash with the greens, the red onions then pour the dressing. Top with toasted coconut flakes and goji berries. Enjoy!

Suggestions: 
1. You can use a different variety of winter squash that's available in your market.
2. Other greens like arugula or lettuce are also great options.
3. Instead of goji berries, pomegranates will also give the dish that bursting red colour. I was planning on using pomegranates but found out on the last minute that the one I had in my kitchen was rotten.
4. And incase coconuts are not your thing, substitute them with either walnuts or pecans. 
5.  You may also like these older recipes for squash here or here.

Enjoy the colours of Fall!  To my friends and relatives  in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoy your Spring!

Warmly, 

Lina

Peaches & Kale With Avocado & Poppy Seed Dressing + More Healthy Tips

It's peach season in Ontario so we've been enjoying these lovely local produce lately.  Sweet and juicy, they are great to munch on, awesome on green smoothies and if you're like me, I've been throwing them into our salads...peaches and greens instead of the usual "peaches and cream." They look so inviting with their red and yellow colours.  My teenage son became interested in eating raw salads several years ago when I started adding colourful fruits and vegetables into my recipes.  They say that "we eat with our eyes first" and my experiment worked out very well with him.  To this day, he still enjoys them.  He just came back from a Christian summer camp in New England and I was very encouraged when he told me  that he ate salads 2x a day for the whole week that he was there.  

Before getting into  the recipe, I’d like to add more healthy tips as a continuation of what I wrote on my last article (please read here).

Tip#3  -  Cook/prepare food at home.  Many health and wellness goals fail in  the absence of home cooking.  We need to know what ingredients go into the food that we eat on a daily basis.  Salt, oil, sugar and flavour enhancers are some of the things we do not have any control of when relying on food made outside our own kitchens.  Everyone has their own challenges when it comes to home cooking.  As I've been talking to several people, these are some of the reasons given: takes too long to  wash, chop or cut vegetables, not familiar with healthy ingredients or not good in the kitchen.  These are all valid reasons and with very minor adjustments, they can change.

Start with organic pre-washed greens if you don't enjoy the prep.  Take baby steps...make simple vegetable dishes one day at time.  A good example would be sauteing greens like bok choy in chopped garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes just until they wilt.  Season with a little tamari or braggs liquid aminos.  If you need assistance around the kitchen, ask for help.  I've been giving free mini workshops  to some of my friends recently... let me tell you, even one short week makes a difference. 

Peaches & Kale With Avocado & Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:
(Preferably Organic)

For the salad:

7-8 cups of shredded or chopped kale leaves (see suggestions)
a handful of  sunflower microgreens or other sprouts
2-3 ripe peaches
2 Tbsp. lightly toasted poppy seeds

For the dressing:
1 medium size avocado, cut and seed removed
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 clove garlic, grated or chopped finely
optional salt (I didn’t use any)

Method:

1. Wash the kale very well, remove hard stems and chop, shred or tear leaves into bite size pieces.   Spin dry them and then place them in a mixing bowl.  
2. On a skillet on low heat, toast the poppy seeduntil it turns fragrant, about1 minute.
3. Mash the avocado with the garlic, lemon and maple syrup until the mixture turns creamy.  You can also blend this in a personal blender if you prefer a smoother consistency.
4. Massage the kale with the avocado mixture until the leaves turn soft and then let them sit for at least 10-15 minutes so they soften even more.  Adjust the taste if necessary.
5.  Mix  ½ of the poppy seeds with the kale then transfer to a serving bowl.   Add  the sprouts on top.
6. Before serving, cut  the peaches and arrange them nicely on top of the greens.
7. Sprinkle the rest of the poppy seeds.   Enjoy!

Suggestions: 
1.  I used black kale, also known as lacinato or dino kale.  Any variety will do.  I have used curly kale previously and I like them both.
2.  If peaches are not available, you can substitute them with nectarine or strawberries.

I hope you're having a great summer.  We can't stop thinking of Hawaii...so here are some more of our memories. 

Warmly, 

Lina