This harvest-inspired salad is a welcome addition to break apart your Thanksgiving plate
The holiday season is upon us, friends.
A family will be making turkey, which we happen to love so much that we roast them several times a year. It’s a nice change of pace from chicken, an everyday protein. And leftover turkey makes great soup, pot pie or curry.
Alongside turkey comes the mashed potatoes with plenty of heavy whipping cream and butter and gravy. My dad used to say that “Gravy is my second favorite beverage,” and if you ever saw his plate, he wasn’t kidding.
Those menu items are all traditional and it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without them, right? But there are many other “must-haves” on a traditional menu. Most people’s include green bean casserole, some sort of sweet potatoes, stuffing — or dressing as some call it — and warm rolls from the oven.
Kale and Squash Salad
This week’s recipe is for my Thanksgiving Salad. Salad is easy to overlook on this holiday, and I think it’s a real mistake. This hearty fall salad doesn’t need to wait until the holiday. That’s just when I happen to make it every year. It’s the perfect break from stuffing, potatoes, warm casseroles and turkey — it’s fresh, crisp and acidic, so it pairs beautifully with such a rich meal.
It features roasted butternut squash, chopped purple kale, cooked quinoa and sweet pecans, and you can add goat cheese — because goat cheese improves everything. The dressing is a vinaigrette with apple cider vinegar, which gives it a tart, fresh flavor, and it’s softened by a bit of maple syrup and Dijon mustard.
Equipment to make Thanksgiving Salad
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 2:06 PM with the headline "This harvest-inspired salad is a welcome addition to break apart your Thanksgiving plate."