I don’t eat very many salads. I think years ago I got burnt out with salads because I ate too many bland ones. Because of that I don’t make them much. I wonder why because they are so easy, quick and you can make them a million different ways? I also think other people’s salads are better than mine. Is that weird? I love to eat my cooking, but when it comes to salads I’ll take someone who prepared it for me!
This salad incorporates some of my favorite things about fall: apples and butternut squash. My favorite fall apple is the Cortland Apple. It seriously tastes like fall in Minnesota to me. I love how white the inside is and it is both sweet and sour. I used a cortland apple in my salad. You can use any variety you want, but I recommend choosing an apple with some tartness.
On top is this amazingly tangy and sweet maple syrup vinaigrette. I put chicken on the salad so that it would be a whole dinner for us. But if you are serving it as a side dish, you can take out the chicken.
Substitutions: If you are completely sugar free, omit the maple syrup and add 1/4 teaspoon stevia. You get the sweetness of the maple syrup, but without the sugar.
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts, baked or pan-fried
2 cups butternut squash, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
8 cups baby spinach
1 Courtland Apple, cored and diced into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 ounces cheve goat cheese
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
- Spread the butternut squash evenly on a baking sheet and cover with grapeseed oil and bake for 20 minutes
- While the squash is cooking place the spinach in a big bowl and start to assemble the salad
- Sprinkle the apple, raisins and goat cheese evenly around the salad and once the butternut squash is cooled, do the same
- Make the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette and pour over the salad and lightly toss the salad
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
Directions:
- In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and sea salt until the salt dissolves. While continuing to whisk, add in the olive oil until the ingredients have emulsified
- You can also add all of the ingredients to a mason jar and shake to combine
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Jennifer says
I made this Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette for our salads for dinner a few nights ago and it was a huge hit with my family. We eat a ton of salads during the spring and summer, and even though this is probably meant as more of a fall salad, we absolutely loved it to kick off our spring. Oh, and it is also very portable. I bring some in an old spice jar to restaurants so I don’t have to deal with all the sugar in their dressings. Thanks for this fabulous, extraordinarily easy-to-make recipe.