Caramelized Squash Salad with Pumpkin Spiced Almonds and Goat Cheese

Recipe from http://www.bhg.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Not only was this a lovely salad to look at, but it was mighty tasty and perfect for the holidays.  I didn’t have any pistachios, so I used Pumpkin Pie Spiced Almonds that I had made in advance.  They tasted fabulous in this salad!

1 cup orange juice

3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, halved crosswise and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips

Nonstick cooking spray

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

6 cups mixed salad greens

1 small head radicchio or purple cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

½ cup roasted salted pistachio nuts (I used Pumpkin Pie Spiced Almonds!)

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (Blue cheese or feta would also be good.)

For marinade, in a small bowl stir together orange juice, maple syrup, mustard and ginger. Set aside ½ cup of the marinade. Place butternut squash pieces in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Pour remaining marinade over squash. Seal bag; marinate, refrigerated, for 1 to 4 hours (or overnight) turning bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (or use parchment paper.) Set aside. Drain marinade from squash, discarding marinade. Place squash on prepared baking sheet. Roast squash until tender and lightly browned in spots, 26 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven; set aside.

For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the reserved marinade, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of dressing over warm squash; toss to combine. In a large bowl combine the mixed greens, radicchio, and half of the pistachios. Toss with half the dressing. Gently toss roasted squash into salad. Top with remaining pistachios and goat cheese. Pass remaining dressing. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

In a large salad bowl, gently toss greens mixture with roasted squash and garnish with remaining pistachios and goat cheese, if desired. Pass remaining dressing.

Nutrition Facts (Caramelized Squash Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese)

Per serving: 275 kcal cal., 17 g fat (2 g sat. fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat, 11 g monounsatured fat), 0 mg chol., 346 mg sodium, 29 g carb., 4 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 5 g pro.  Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet