Description
This is my go-to kale salad for a family favorite autumn dinner. It’s loaded with roasted maple delicata squash, roasted carrots & fennel, crispy chickpeas, and a pumpkin seed nut brittle, all tossed in the creamiest maple tahini dressing. Trust me, you’ll be *craving* this roasted delicata kale salad!
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Delicata Squash:
- 2 medium delicata squash
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Roasted Fennel, Carrots, & Chickpeas:
- 1 large bulb fennel, stems removed
- 3 large carrots, peeled and stems removed
- 10 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Kale Salad:
- 4 cups curly or lacinato kale, chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp vinegar
Pumpkin Seed & Nut Brittle:
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 2 tbsp buckwheat groats
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Maple Tahini Dressing:
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 415F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prep the delicata squash: Clean the delicata squash thoroughly. Then slice the two end pieces and slice the delicata squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, and discard. Then cut the delicata squash into 1/2″ slices. Place the slices into a bowl, and season with maple syrup, olive oil, and sea salt. Toss to evenly coat. Set aside.
- Prep the carrots, fennel, and chickpeas: Clean, peel, and slice the carrots into matchsticks, followed by removing the stems of the fennel bulb, peeling off the outer layer, and dicing the fennel. Rinse the chickpeas. Then add the carrots, fennel, and chickpeas to a separate bowl, and toss together with olive oil, sea salt, and cumin.
- Roast the veggies: Spread the delicata squash out onto a baking sheet, making sure all of the pieces lay flat, then spread the carrots, fennel, and chickpeas onto the other baking sheet. Place the baking sheets into the oven. You’ll roast the delicata squash for 45-50 minutes, and the carrots, fennel, and chickpeas for 30 minutes.
- Prep the kale: While the veggies are roasting, clean and prep the kale. Chop the kale finely, and add it to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, and with clean hands, massage the olive oil into the kale until it begins to soften (about 2-3 minutes). Set aside.
- Prepare the brittle: The carrots, fennel, and chickpeas should almost be ready to come out, so we’ll prepare the brittle. In a small bowl, mix together all brittle ingredients.
- Bake the brittle: Once the carrots, fennel, and chickpeas are done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, and spoon the roasted veggies and chickpeas onto the kale salad. Carefully place a new parchment paper sheet onto the baking sheet, and use a silicone spatula to spread the brittle onto the baking sheet. You want the nuts and seeds to all touch each other but be flat, as they will stick together once baked. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Make the dressing: While the brittle and the delicata squash finish baking, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Cool the brittle: Remove the brittle (and by this time, the delicata squash as well!) from the oven, and let cool for 10-15 minutes. It’ll still be super soft, but will harden as it cools. Once cooled, you can break the brittle into chunks.
- Assemble the salad: Add the delicata squash to the kale salad, along with the broken up brittle, and about 1/4 cup of dressing to start. Toss the salad to evenly coat it in the dressing, and add more until you reach your preference for a dressed salad.
- Serve and enjoy! This salad is great served warm or cold. See blog post for storage tips!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
See blog post for all tips & tricks!
