Vegan Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Orange Maple Vinaigrette
This vegan fall harvest salad is loaded with sweet roasted delicata squash and beets, pomegranate, and Cara Cara oranges and dressed with a sweet and tangy orange maple vinaigrette.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Roasted Delicata Squash and Beets
- 1 delicata squash
- 2 medium-sized beets
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried or a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Brown Rice
- 1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of dried or a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 cup brown jasmine rice rinsed and drained
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- water - enough to cover the rice by about 1/4"
Salad Fixings
- 1/2 of a large head of lettuce or 1 whole head if small in size
- 2 Cara Cara oranges any sweet citrus will work
- 1 cup of sliced English cucumber
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds toasted or raw
- 3 scallions chopped
Cara Cara Orange Vinaigrette
- 4 tablespoons 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of the reserved Cara Cara juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon of fire cider optional
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Prepare Roasted Winter Squash and Beets:
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Slice squash into 1/2" thick circle and remove seeds. Peel and slice beets into about 1/2" thick slices. Toss squash and beets with oil, herbs and seasonings in a bowl. Dump onto a sheet pan and spread out into one layer.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes until squash and beets are tender. Remove from oven and set aside until assembly.
Prepare Brown Rice:
- While squash and beets are roasting, heat a 2-3 quart saucepan on the stove top on medium-high heat.
- Toss veggies and herbs with olive oil then add to hot pan (this eliminates spattering oil). Sauté veggies for 3-5 minutes until just starting to brown, then add rice to the pan stirring constantly and allow the rice to toast a bit, a minute or so. Add salt and pepper and water to the pan.
- Stir the rice and then bring it to a boil over high heat, cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 35 minutes, until rice is tender and all of the water is absorbed.
Prepare Salad Fixings:
- Wash and dry lettuce and rip into bite-sized pieces.
- Supreme the oranges into segments and reserve the juice (for the vinaigrette).
- Slice the cucumbers, chop the tomatoes and scallion and prepare the pomegranate and sunflower seeds. Keep each element separate until assembly.
Prepare Cara Cara Vinaigrette:
- Add all the ingredients to a pint-sized mason jar and secure the top with a lid.
- Wrap in a kitchen towel (just to be safe) and shake vigorously until emulsified.
Assemble Salad:
- In a large shallow serving dish (a pasta serving bowl would work well here) spread the hot rice into a flat layer. Then layer the lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Next layer the squash and beets, followed by the oranges and pomegranate seeds.
- Sprinkle the scallions and sunflower seeds all over the top. Pour the dressing evenly over the entire salad.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Best eaten right away. Once dressed, greens do not keep very well.
Delicata squash alternatives: acorn squash, carnival squash, or sweet dumpling squash.
Use a hearty lettuce such as red leaf lettuce (as shown in the images), romaine lettuce, or baby kale.