Autumn Salad

Acorn Squash Salad

With Cranberry Cherry Orange Sauce

 Just because it is autumn doesn’t mean abandoning the healthy and nutritious salad.  Let’s incorporate the flavors and bounty of autumn into our salad, which will be a welcome change. 

Butternut squash and cranberry orange cherry sauce top this salad.  The gourmet goddess made the cranberry sauce last week, but now will take it a step further. Beautiful flower-like slices of roasted acorn squash filled with cranberry sauce embellish the pinnacle of this salad.  Add apples, glazed walnuts and blue cheese, then drizzle with a Maple Orange Vinaigrette. 

Recipes for the Maple Orange Vinaigrette, Roasted Acorn Squash, Cranberry Orange Cherry Sauce and Salad are all included below.  This salad makes a great appetizer for Thanksgiving or the roasted acorn squash with cranberry sauce can be served as a side as well.

Happy Cooking!

And Remember

Always Stay in Touch with Your Inner Goddess!

 Maple Orange Vinaigrette

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup Orange Juice

½ cup Light Olive Oil for Salads

3 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup

½ teaspoon ground Ginger

½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg

Instructions

Dressing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Whisk together all ingredients.  Dressing can also be prepared in a blender.

Store in an airtight container.

Cranberry Orange Cherry Sauce

2- 12 ounce bags frozen Ocean Spray ® Cranberries defrosted

2 – 8 ounce bags Earthbound Farms® Pitted, Frozen Cherries defrosted

6 cups Sugar

½ cup Water

1 cup Orange Juice

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

½ cup Dried Sour Cherries

Zest of 2 Oranges no pith

2 sticks Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Ground Cloves

Instructions

Combine cranberries, 4 cups of sugar (reserve 2 cups of sugar for next step), water and orange juice.

Bring to a simmer on medium heat.

Cook for about 7 – 10 minutes.

Add defrosted cherries, the other 2 cups of sugar, dried cranberries, dried cherries, cinnamon, orange zest and ground cloves and cook on medium low heat for an additional 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Cool overnight.

Roasted Acorn Squash

2 Acorn Squash washed, dried and sliced

2 tablespoons Extra Version Olive Oil

1 stick Butter

Salt for sprinkling

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

Instructions

Can be washed, dried and sliced a day ahead.

Store wrapped well or in an airtight container.

 Day of serving…

Place parchment on cookie sheets and lay out acorn squash. 

Melt butter and add olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir ingredients together until brown sugar is melted.

Brush the top of each acorn slice and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until tender.

 Can be served warm or chilled.

Salad

Large Bag of Mixed Greens

½ Red Onion sliced thinly and cut into small pieces

1 cup Candied Pecans or Walnuts

1 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

2 Granny Smith Apples, washed, dried cored and sliced

Instructions

Place greens on plate.

Add sliced red onions, apple slices, glazed nuts, blue cheese crumble.

Top with warm or chilled acorn squash. 

Fill center of squash with cranberry orange cherry sauce.