Fall Harvest Salad

I hosted my very first Thanksgiving dinner this year, before I head home to my parent's house for our big Thanksgiving day celebration. It was so much fun. I loved all of the planning that went into it and of course the outcome of all of my dishes. I made everything from scratch and had a blast doing it.

This salad was one of my favorites from the meal. I feel like there are always so many delicious carbs on the table at Thanksgiving, as it should be, and no one would dare touch a boring side salad, at least on Thanksgiving. This salad was anything but boring, it encompassed a few of my very favorite ingredients, so I knew it would be winner.

This salad will not be a lone dish that does not even get touched at your meal, you will even have people going back for seconds. This salad can't really be prepped too far in advance, because the apples will turn and the vinaigrette would solidify in the refridgerator, but you can make the pecan clusters a day or two in advance.  It takes a little work, but you aren't doing anything else on Thanksgiving besides cooking (and maybe football, later on.)
Source: Smells Like Home 

Ingredients:
2 cups of Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed, about 1 large
3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup of Pecans, chopped
1 tablespoon of Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons of Brown Sugar
1 bunch of Kale, stems removed and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
6 oz. of Brie, cubed
1 Apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cup of Dried Cranberries

 For the Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons of Pure Maple Syrup
1/3 cup of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt

 Directions:
First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Now, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spread the squash on top. Drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 15-25 minutes, until fork tender.

While the squash is roasting, make your pecan clusters. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Heat a medium size sauce pan over medium heat and melt the butter and brown sugar. Cook and stir the butter mixture until it turns to a dark amber color and the sugar has liquified. Toss the pecans with the mixture, coat well, and pour onto your prepared baking sheet. Let cool and then break into clusters.

Now, make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl or mason jar mix all of the ingredients well by whisking or shaking.

In the bowl which you are going to serve your salad in, place the chopped kale inside, drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and massage for 2-3 minutes until the kale starts to turn bright green and glossy. 

Layer the salad, place the roasted butternut squash, brie, apples, cranberries, pecan clusters, and drizzle with all of the vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife