Winter Squash Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Winter Squash Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

     Happy Holiday Season!  We left town last week for a little "R&R" and I am still trying to decide if we actually relaxed.  Frankly, it was an odd sort of week but then again, no vacation can be perfect.  In the end, it was nice to get away and spend time together as a family.  And we will tell the story of the tow truck adventure - up and over the mountain - for years to come!

     We arrived back home to realize that our new neighborhood really takes Christmas decorating seriously and we are woefully behind our neighbors.  I suspect that we will continue to be "that house" but I really do not mind it too much.  Boxes of Christmas decorations that had been in storage for years were finally opened and it felt as though we were seeing old friends again.  Dear Daughter has her own small Christmas tree up and decorated in her room and the rest of the house is looking festive and cozy, if I do say so myself.  I had mentioned the possibility of purchasing an artificial tree to the family a few days ago and was met with death stares, so tomorrow night, we will head out to look for a tree.

     December will be a busy one...with school, swim meets, hockey games (Dear Daughter is now the ultimate Penguin fan), and family get togethers.  Our CSA has moved from summer mode to winter mode and our veggies are consisting of lots of squash, leafy greens and potatoes.    Just before Thanksgiving, we received these little cuties.

Celebration Squash

     Now what to do with these?  I am a bit tired of making a cream based soup - that seems to be the easy way out.  Then, I started noticing squash as an ingredient in salads and I had an idea.  Let's make our own Winter Salad.  A bit of research and a bit of tweaking and I think I have a winner!  This would be an excellent first course or a great accompaniment to grilled meat.

Winter Squash Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Winter Squash Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

The Squash of your choice - I used celebration squash but you could also use butternut squash
Mixed Greens
Dried Cranberries
Candied Walnuts
Shaved Parmesan
3T Maple Syrup (only the good stuff, here!)
1 1/2 T Cider Vinegar
2t Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Then slice into rings and slice again into half moons.

Place the squash on a cookie sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with Pam.  Roast for 20 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Make the dressing.  In a bowl, combine the syrup, vinegar and mustard.  Whisk and season to taste.  With a brush, take a bit of the dressing and brush a bit on the cooked squash.

Dress the greens with the remaining dressing.  Divide onto plates.  Sprinkle with dried cranberries, nuts and shaved Parmesan.  Place two to three half moon pieces of squash on each salad and serve.

Voila!  Enjoy the late Fall weather.