Recipe developed and shot by Emily Cohen of My Life My Menu.
This beautifully layered salad has perfect fall elements for Thanksgiving. It combines toasted sweet chickpeas and roasted curried butternut squash with shredded Brussel sprouts, pomegranate seeds and pecans. Top it off by dressing it with a honey tahini. Prep the entire salad and dressing up to two days before leaving you more time for everything else!
What You’ll Need:
Chickpeas:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon neutral oil (i.e. avocado, canola, etc.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Butternut Squash:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon neutral oil
1 teaspoon ground curry
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salad:
1 pound shredded Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed
3/4 cup of pomegranate seeds (about half a large pomegranate)
1 cup pecans
Dressing:
3 heaping tablespoons of tahini
1 tablespoon of honey
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
What to Do:
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Take your pecans and place them on a tray. Put the tray in the oven, uncovered, to toast for 6 minutes. Remove the tray and set aside.
Raise your oven temperature to 375°F.
Take your butternut squash, oil, curry, cinnamon and salt and add it to a large mixing bowl. Using a gloved hand toss really well until all the squash is coated. Transfer the squash to a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake uncovered for 55 minutes.
In the now empty bowl place your chickpeas, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon and sugar. Using a gloved hand toss all the ingredients really well until the chickpeas are well coated. Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cook for 45 min uncovered.
To make your dressing, whisk your tahini, honey, lemon juice, garlic and chopped ginger in a bowl. Then add your water and oil and mix until it is thoroughly combined.
When you are ready to serve and dress the salad, take your shredded Brussel sprouts and add them to a large mixing bowl. Pour half of your dressing over the sprouts and toss together using gloved hands. Then add your remaining ingredients: pomegranate seeds, pecans, butternut squash, chickpeas and the remaining dressing. Toss everything very well. Transfer to your serving platter.
Plan Ahead: The squash, chickpeas, pecans, and dressing can be made up to two days before serving. Dress the salad just before serving. Enjoy!
