Delicata Squash Salad

 I'm on a roll with making recipes with squash lately and I'm working my way through each of the squashes.  Last week was butternut squash and this week I'm on delicata and acorn.  I don't know if I didn't eat a lot of squash when I was younger or if I don't really remember it, but it wasn't until after college that I really started experimenting with cooking squash.  I love how versatile squash is and the different varieties have such different flavors.  This salad features baked delicata squash rings, which are so simple to make.  Just slice, toss with oil & salt, and bake!

A few of my other favorite Trader Joe's items are featured in this salad as well.  I love their candied walnuts & used their sweet and spicy walnuts in this salad.  I loved how the spiciness balanced out the sweetness, but candied walnuts or pecans would work just fine as well.  A lot of fall salads have dried cranberries in them, but I love using dried blueberries instead.  They are sweeter than dried cranberries and don't have the same tart flavor, but they are absolutely delicious.  The tartness from the goat cheese helps brighten things up a bit so the salad doesn't become too sweet.  Toss with some balsamic vinaigrette and you have yourself a perfectly balanced salad that you'll want to eat every day.  Yes, that's right.  You won't be sick of this salad after eating it a few times, which is hugely important when you're meal prepping.  

In addition to the main ingredients for this salad, I also added avocado and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) on a few of the salads because I had them on hand.  While the salad doesn't need these ingredients, they paired well with the other ingredients and didn't overpower the flavors.

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

8 cups mixed greens

1 medium delicata squash, sliced in 1/2 moons

1/2 cup dried blueberries or cranberries

1 cup candied walnuts or pecans

3 oz goat cheese

balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Toss squash slices in olive oil and salt and bake for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.
3. Allow the squash to cool before topping the greens.  Add berries, nuts, and crumble goat cheese on top.  Toss with vinaigrette and enjoy.