With tender baby kale, sweet roasted butternut squash, tart dried cranberries, and creamy avocado, this is a winter salad idea I can get firmly behind.

I love this winter kale salad recipe so much because, well, one, it’s absolutely freaking delicious! But it’s also super flexible and can be made vegan, vegetarian, or meaty – and every variation is so tasty.

So if you’re looking for green salad recipes for winter, start here! You’ll love this one.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind The Recipe
• Winter Kale Salad Ingredients
• How to Make It
• Variations/Additions
• Tips for Avoiding a Soggy Salad
• More Winter Salad Ideas

The Story Behind The Recipe

This recipe came to Kitchen Treaty during a time when I was feeling frustrated by my limitations – I was having to eat dairy-free and wasn’t yet comfortable creating 100% plant-based recipes.

So I asked around, and by a mad stroke of luck, two incredible food bloggers agreed to share recipes here on Kitchen Treaty every month or so – Gina, and, for this recipe, Brandy from Nutmeg Nanny created some serious salad deliciousness.

Every time I make this salad, I have to force myself to stop eating it – it’s that good!

Winter Kale Salad Ingredients

• Baby kale: This plate of deliciousness is made with baby kale because I personally find it to be a bit easier to eat for salads. If you wanted to you use regular curly kale it’s still totally doable, but you might want to give it a little massage first.
• Roasted butternut squash
• Dried cranberries
• Avocado
• Hard boiled eggs
• Apples
• Blue cheese

And for the dressing, we have:

• Olive oil: Because every good vinaigrette starts with olive oil!
• Red wine vinegar
• Meyer lemon juice: Meyer lemons bring the wintertime vibes and are a little sweeter than traditional lemons. But you can use regular lemon juice too!
• Dijon mustard
• Garlic
• Salt and pepper

How to Make It

First, roast the butternut squash. While it’s cooking, you can work on chopping your other winter salad ingredients.

Then, mix your vinaigrette dressing right in your big salad-mixing bowl.

Add the veggies to the salad bowl and top with the butternut squash. Toss well to incorporate the dressing, then top with hard-boiled eggs, chicken, tofu, and/or any other protein you like!

Variations/Additions

Amp up the protein. If you prefer a little more protein with your salads you can also add more eggs or dice up some marinated baked tofu. Or, if you’re a carnivore, some crispy fried bacon pieces and some grilled chicken.

Go flexitarian! This winter kale salad can be made One Dish, Two Ways style by separating it into individual servings and topping the carnivores’ portions with sliced chicken.

Try a different winter squash. So many winter squashes lend themselves to roasting and would be amazing in this salad. Kabocha, buttercup, or delicata would be great, especially because they’re small and roasting one would be just about perfect for the quantities in this salad. Pumpkin would be excellent too! I’m partial to Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.

Cook the eggs differently. This winter salad would be so excellent with soft-boiled or even poached eggs in lieu of the hard-boiled eggs.

Tips for Avoiding a Soggy Salad

Now I know in the pictures the salad is perfectly dressed and everything is perfectly placed BUT in real life I do not make a salad like this. In real life it all gets tossed together so every single bite is sure to have some sort of deliciousness hanging out in it. So here is my little tip just to make sure you don’t get a soggy overdressed salad:

1. Make your dressing right in your large salad bowl
2. Throw in your greens and then top with all your other ingredients as they cook and cool.
3. When you’re finally ready to eat the salad, THEN toss quickly and serve.

That way you don’t try dress the salad too early and make it soggy OR make the salads and try to toss the dressing on the plate. (This method is also great for dinner parties!)

More Winter Salad Ideas

I love these green salad recipes for winter:

• Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad with Almonds
• Rainbow Kale Salad brings all the colors!
• This simple fall salad is marketed for autumn but a great fit for winter too
• This Massaged Kale Salad with Chickpeas is another one of my faves.

Print

Winter Kale Salad

Roasted butternut squash, avocado, baby kale, and cranberries join together for a hearty winter salad that can be customized in so many different ways.

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword kale

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 574kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the roasted butternut squash:

• 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed cut into 1/2-inch chunks; from about 1/4 of a medium butternut squash
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the salad dressing:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice can substitute plain lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small clove garlic, minced about 1/2 teaspoon
• Pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil

For the salad:

• 5 ounces baby kale washed and dried
• Prepared roasted butternut squash
• 1 avocado cubed
• 1 apple cored and cubed (Fuji is great in this salad)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 4 hard-boiled eggs peeled and halved

Optional toppings:

• Grilled chicken sliced
• Crispy bacon crumbled
• Marinated tofu cubed

Instructions

Roast the butternut squash

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Add butternut squash to the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss to evenly coat the squash. Roast until soft and slightly golden in color, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before putting on the salad.

Make the salad dressing

• In a large salad bowl (the one you will use for serving) add vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, kosher salt and pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and combined. Taste the dressing and add more kosher salt and pepper if desired.

Assemble the salad

• Top the dressing with the baby kale, butternut squash, avocado, apple, blue cheese, and cranberries. Toss to combine and make sure all ingredients are evenly coated. Top with eggs and serve.

Notes

Meat option:

Add slices of grilled chicken or cooked crumbled bacon. Or both.

Dairy-free option:

Omit the blue cheese.

Vegan option:

Omit the blue cheese and eggs. Add cubed marinated tofu and/or vegan feta. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 726mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 9609IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 2mg

Originally published Feb. 29, 2016.

The post Winter Kale Salad appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

When I first started this blog, things were simpler. I was a vegetarian who could eat dairy. My husband was the same as he is now – he’d eat anything. And our daughter wasn’t around yet. It was easier to create one-dish-two-meals recipes then than it is now, but honestly, I’ve never found those types of recipes easy. In application, they’re usually not all that much extra work, but the one-dish-two-ways recipes take awhile to develop and refine and get just right and then to write the recipe in a way that’s not overly complex is yet another challenge that I haven’t quite nailed yet. But I’m going to keep trying!

Anyway, this one-dish-two-ways meal has been happening around here for a few months now and I think I’ve got it down pat. Though I cook it up in two separate pans at one time and that 10 minutes or so of dual cooking time can get a little frantic, in the end it comes together quickly and relatively easily. 

If you think I’m going to say even our picky daughter eats this Cashew Veggie Stir Fry, well, nope. I get my tofu version, my guy gets his meaty version, and our daughter gets her chicken nuggets or grilled cheese or mini corn dogs (a recent addition to her protein rotation that we celebrated – pretty much gotta have a picky eater of your own to understand. 🙂 )

I will say I think our kiddo is missing out, though! I love this dinner recipe, and though we’re a little burnt out after I’ve tested it time and time again (hazard of being a food blogger), after we take a bit of a break I can confidently say this one will for sure be in weekday dinner rotation. The tofu in one pan, chicken in the other stir-fry formula might actually be one I carry forward into new recipes, too. I’m thinking something peanut-based. Yes?

This recipe is adapted from this Cashew Chicken recipe from Averie Cooks. If you’re looking at making an all-chicken version, stop reading right here and just head on over to Averie Cooks. She’s got the perfect super-delicious situation for meat-eaters over there. 

I started with her recipe, but divided it into two pans – chicken in one, tofu in the other. I found that when you divide the sauce between two pans, there’s not quite enough, so I doubled the sauce recipe (plus, it’s really really tasty, and the more the better as far as I’m concerned!) I also added rice to the equation, because to me, the added carb quotient helps it feel like a complete meal. 

I love the crunch of cashews, the little-bit-crispy tofu, the tender veggies, and the salty-sweetness of the sauce. Obviously I haven’t tried the chicken side of things but suffice it to say my guy is all over it. 

This recipe makes the perfect amount for us – half for dinner, the other half for lunch the next day. Though it’s best fresh out of the pan, the leftovers are still totally delicious. 

If you want to make an all-tofu version of this glorious Cashew Veggie Stir Fry, just double the tofu portion along with the cornstarch, salt, and pepper, then cook it all up in a large pan. You may want to start with adding about 1/2 the sauce and then go from there until it’s just the way you like it. 

Maybe one day I’ll be able to come up with a One Dish Three Ways version of this recipe so there’s a version our daughter loves too. Until then, thank goodness for mini corn dogs. 

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Oh wait! I guess I’ve gotten ahead of myself. I have a recipe to share right now! Okay guys, I have been trying to come up with the perfect pot pie recipe for awhile now. Something hearty with a good amount of protein for the vegetarians yet it won’t be weird if you add meat to the mix. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I really think I’ve finally nailed it with these Rustic White Bean & Thyme Pot Pies.

Individual pot pies are another perfect way to feed meat-eaters and vegetarians at the same table. Simply start with a veggie base, add some cooked chicken (or turkey, hi leftovers!) to the meat-eaters’ portions, and away you go!

Oh, and if you like, you can totally make use of cute little alphabet cookie cutters to differentiate pot pies.

These Rustic White Bean & Thyme Pot Pies make the perfect winter dinner situation. They’re surprisingly easy to make – especially when you resort to store-bought pie crust as I often do. If you prefer a homemade situation that has no dairy, look no further than Minimalist Baker’s coconut oil pie crust. It’s terrific!

Okay, so we’ve got hearty cannellini beans along with hunks of carrots and buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, all in a savory, creamy, thyme-spiked sauce. Simple, rustic, yet somehow special. Even though this pot pie doesn’t contain traditionally wintery veggies, I think it just screams comfort and winter. Not literally, because that would be frightening.

Speaking of winter, I’m off for winter break! Happy Holidays, friends, and see you on the other side!

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The post Rustic White Bean & Thyme Pot Pies (Two Ways!) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

And then I realized it wasn’t exactly a blog-worthy recipe … if you could even call that a recipe. Roast your spaghetti squash, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, the end.

I needed to up my game.

But, you know … I didn’t want to up it too much. Because there’s a time and a place (often/most everywhere) for simple. And this recipe for Thai Peanut Spaghetti Squash Boats definitely qualifies.

So here’s what we’ve got. Oven-roasted spaghetti squash (you can use your microwave to save time if you like), tossed with the simplest Thai-inspired peanut sauce. Then we scoop it back into the spaghetti squash shells because spaghetti squash boats = fun.

Top those bad boys with peanuts, cilantro, and – if you like – some protein of choice.

Done!

This unbelievably easy spaghetti squash dish is so rich and creamy, with garlic-and-ginger-tinged peanut sauce + crunchy peanuts + a bit of fresh flavor from the cilantro. It makes a great side, but also serves as a perfectly satiating main course.

We also love this one as a one-dish-two-ways situation – it’s super versatile. It’s vegan as-is, or you can add some of your favorite cooked-and-cubed tofu for a bit of added heft (and it’s still vegan!).

For the meat-eaters in the house, either top with or stir in some cooked and chopped chicken.

Shop this pic: Black stoneware serving tray

Simple, satiating spaghetti squash – several styles. (I’ll have you know I worked really hard on making that alliteration happen.)

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It all started with a dream.

Not an inspired “I have a dream!” type of dream. No, we’re talking about a weird dream in which I was on an episode of Top Chef Superstars (a show that doesn’t actually exist, right?) and apparently, I somehow was a Top Chef Superstar. Except I was wildly unprepared for the challenge I’d been given, which involved knowing how to skillfully prepare a (gross alert – skip over this if you’re squeamish) Hawaiian caterpillar fillet that was the size of my forearm (also something that doesn’t exist – please oh please say it doesn’t exist.)

I woke up in a panic, but also with an idea in my head: a simple coconut milk and lime soup with Thai flavors and a good amount of rice simmered in – one that would be perfect topped with either tofu or chicken. Or, apparently, served alongside giant caterpillar. So gross. So weird. So sorry.

I promise I don’t do drugs.

By afternoon, I had simmered up this superb Coconut Lime Rice Soup and was totally in love with it. I almost can’t wait for the next time I get a cold so that I can see if it’s the magic elixir I think it might be. I know, I know, don’t tempt fate, right?

I love love love this soup for its One-Dish-Two-Ways versatility. The soup cooks up perfectly vegan, and then the protein is in the toppings – shredded chicken for Mr. Carnivore (no Hawaiian um, meat, sorry babe); cubed tofu for Ms. Meatless (that’d be moi).

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Note from Kare: Brandy from Nutmeg Nanny is back with a tasty and adaptable recipe that, frankly, makes a terrific dinner in and of itself. But if you want to give it the appetizer treatment, I don’t think anyone will complain! I adore these crispy baked vegetable egg rolls – no deep frying in sight. Take it away, Brandy!

I’m a serious egg roll lover. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that.

Sometimes when we order Chinese food, I think to myself: “Would it make me too much of a pig if I just ordered three egg rolls and nothing else?” I have yet to give into my desire to just feast on egg rolls but I’m really only one bad day away from probably letting it happen.

However, one thing I love about egg rolls is how easy they are to make. Seriously, it’s not that difficult – especially when they’re baked instead of deep-fried. (Bonus: they’re healthier that way too!)

Homemade egg rolls are great because you get to throw in all the vegetables (and meat) of your choosing. For this recipe I did a mix of cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts and shiitake mushrooms. I also made a version with added chicken because I’m all about the protein addition.

However, I did have two issues when making this recipe. Problem 1: I had to drive around to all the grocery stores in the area before I found egg roll wrappers. Even then, all I found was spring roll wrappers. Which in the end are similar enough, but they are a bit thinner – so that means they come out a bit crispier. Problem 2: I’m the worst egg roll wrapper EVER! I’m not really sure why I’m so bad at this but I just can’t get them all to be the perfect size. In the end it’s really not a big deal since it’s just my family eating them BUT I guess if I were looking to win a gold medal for a egg roll wrapping I would not win. I’m not even sure I would place.

Oh and back to problem number 1, guess where I finally found the wrappers – the Asian market. Duh. Why didn’t I just go there in the first place? I’ll never know. However, most large grocery store chains do in fact carry egg roll wrappers. Mine were just all out on the day I needed them. Apparently everyone wants to make egg rolls. Which makes sense they are in fact delicious.

As far as dipping goes you can really make up any sauce that you like with egg rolls but I opted to make a peanut butter based sauce. I think the savory peanut lime flavor goes perfectly with all the vegetables stuffed into these babies. PLUS it’s just another excuse to eat peanut butter, which is always a plus in my book.

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That’s how you pronounce the easiest dinner you’ve made in a long, long time.

Well, I guess I’m actually not sure what you’ve been making in your kitchen (how creepy would that be?!) – so I probably should rephrase. What I can say is that these Spicy Chipotle Chilaquiles are definitely the easiest dinner I’ve made in a long, long time!

So, first off – do you know what chilaquiles are?! I didn’t. I’m the first to admit I’ve been hearing about them for awhile, but, yep, I really wasn’t sure what they were all about.

Well, they’re a traditional Mexican dish made with fried tortillas that are simmered in a chile-tomato sauce. They’re sort of a cross between enchiladas and nachos. And not only are they super simple to make, as it turns out, they’re also incredibly adaptable for multi-vore households. You can make ’em vegan, vegetarian, and/or meaty for the omnivores. Plus, as long as you choose 100% corn tortillas, they’re already gluten-free!

Here’s how I make Spicy Chipotle Chilaquiles (3 ways)!

First, the chips.

I brush corn tortillas with olive oil, cut them into wedges, and bake them until crisp. Meanwhile, the sauce simmers.

In order to keep these on the healthier side, I cut fresh corn tortillas into wedges, brush them with a little olive oil,  then bake them until crisp. The tomato sauce is ready just about the time the chips are – just stir them in and the base of your chilaquiles is done!

Now it’s all about the toppings – avocado, sliced radishes, onions, fresh cilantro, maybe a smattering of warmed black beans for the vegans. Maybe an egg and a sprinkle of cojita or cheddar cheese for the vegetarians. And perhaps some shredded or cubed chicken for the omnivores.

Mix and match however you like and dinner is served quicker than you can say chee-la-KEE-lehs!

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Okay, fine. Fine restaurants! I’ll make my own salads at home! And then I’ll add chicken back but only as an optional addition for my beloved carnivore’s serving. And maybe a little bacon for him, too. But mine is a hearty veggie number with chickpeas and avocado and hard-boiled egg and sweet potatoes and it totally didn’t need chicken. So there.

If you didn’t already guess, we’re talking Cobb salads made at home. They’re quick, they’re easy, they’re endlessly customizable, and they’re not $14 a whack.

We love Cobb salads as a quick and easy dinner. They’re super simple to throw together, perfect for tailoring to individual tastes, and they’re always fabulous. Have I sold you yet?!

A traditional Cobb salad usually has the following toppings arranged over a base of chopped romaine:

• Cooked, cubed chicken
• Cooked, chopped bacon
• Avocado
• Chopped hard-boiled eggs
• Tomatoes
• Blue cheese (aka: bleu cheese, I have no idea which is proper)

For my vegetarian version, I, of course, omit the chicken and bacon and opt for one or two of these instead. If you’re vegan, swap out the eggs and cheese for a couple more from this list and you’ll be golden, too:

• Chickpeas
• Cooked seasoned lentils
• White beans
• Roasted sweet potatoes (or, as in the salad pictured, leftover spice-rubbed grilled sweet potatoes)
• Roasted butternut squash
• Sliced almonds
• Sunflower seeds

All of those ingredients make for a hearty salad, so we like a light vinaigrette drizzled over the top. But some folks like to go for the gusto and prefer a creamy blue cheese. Whatever you want! We’re free of restaurant menu tyranny! Make this salad yours!

Cobbs get creative

The sky’s the limit! Here are three great versions from around the web.

I adore the colors in this vegan Cobb from The Lunchbox Bunch :: Asian-Style Cobb Salad from Damn Delicious. Smart! :: I was totally going to create something like this but that darn brilliant Heather Christo beat me to it: Autumn Cobb Salad (with smoky pumpkin dressing!)

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Which is why it is so strange that it appears that, in my 5 years of food blogging, I apparently have not shared one peach recipe. Not a single one! I have no earthly clue what that is all about, because I’m a total peach fangirl.

I guess I’ll just have to dedicate myself to solving the problem of zero peach posts – one tasty recipe at a time. The sacrifices I make.

I couldn’t be happier that these Grilled Peach Fontina Quesadillas mark my first peach recipe entry in the blogosphere. Now I want to create all peach recipes, all the time! ~Millions of peaches, peaches for me.~

Okay, or three.

Did you know, by the way, that the lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America (whose song I just referenced there) is also popular children’s artist Caspar Babypants? I swear there’s this whole new underworld out there that you have no idea exists until you have a young kiddo in your life. Now, instead of going to cool little indie concerts, I find myself lugging a picnic lunch and a toddler to Caspar Babypants shows in the park. Which – don’t tell anyone – I love just as much. Now if I can just get “Bad Blue Jay” out of my head, I’ll be good.

Tangent! Back to these quesadillas.

First of all, peaches make an unbelievable filling in ‘dillas. Like, seriously incredible. Their juicy sweetness is the perfect counterpoint to savory melty cheese – especially creamy fontina. I decided to add a touch of crunch and heat with thinly sliced fresh jalapenos, too. And that’s it – unless you add a little cooked chicken for the carnivores (we used leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken). Seriously, these bad boys are so. freaking. easy.

And they’re even easier when cooked on the grill. Have you tried quesadillas on the grill yet? It’s an incredible way to cook them up. No oil needed. Just crank up the heat – medium to medium-high – and the tortilla grills up golden brown and a bit crispy; the insides get all warm and gooey, and the best part is, they cook up in just a couple of minutes. It’s crazy easy.

But if you don’t have a grill, or you want to cook up these quesadillas in a different way,  don’t miss this post over on Oh My Veggies. It’s got you covered.

I served these up with a simple mix of halved cherry tomatoes and fresh cilantro tossed in a honey-lime vinaigrette. My guy prefers his with salsa and sour cream. Avocado or guacamole would be outstanding, too. Either way, you can’t lose.

Peachy deliciousness from other food blogs

Grilled peach, brie, & basil sandwich from Two Peas and Their Pod | Make-ahead peaches & cream breakfast bake from Half Baked Harvest | Grilled peach salad & mint pesto from Love & Lemons | and 4 ways to have peaches for breakfast from Oh My Veggies

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This summer, we’ve been branching out with tacos. Oh yeah, gettin’ all fancy up here on the Kitchen Treaty grill.

Okay, I totally know tacos aren’t fancy. What I do know, though, is that they can be delicious. And easy! Gotta love delicious and easy.

This grilled tofu tacos recipe does require a little planning-ahead time – about two hours for marinating in a fresh lime juice, cumin, and smoked paprika blend. But then they come together lickety split. Slice up the cabbage and onions, toss lightly with lemon juice, a little olive oil, and salt and pepper. Slice up some avocado, and grill the tortillas.

Yep, grill the tortillas! It’s such an easy way to warm them so they’re nice and soft and pliable – plus, the grill is already on, so why not? I remove the flour tortillas from the package, place them on a dinner plate, and cover with a damp towel. Then just lay them on a grill heated medium-high, and cook for 1-2 minutes on either side until slightly browned and warmed through.

Then back on the plate they go, covered by the towel, until it’s time to assemble your tacos.

Chicken for the carnivore, tofu for the vegetarian. We’ve got this one dish two ways thing down.

Grab a tortilla, add some avo, sliced tofu, and sweet onion slaw. You can use any sweet onions you want, by the way – being from the Pacific Northwest, I’m partial to Walla Walla. But Vidalia or Texas sweets would work just fine, too. And purple cabbage would be pretty, if you wanted to go with that particular twist. Here, we had a giant head of green cabbage from our CSA and I was bound and determined to use that sucker down to the last leaf. This recipe helped!

Super simple grilled tacos, and no cooking indoors. Summer meal perfection.

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