All of the flavors of fall wrapped up into one Kale Salad with Acorn Squash – topped off with goat cheese, dried cranberries, and candied pecans!I woke up yesterday morning to a text message from my uncle asking me about Thanksgiving. He is a PHENOMENAL cook – the kind that bakes bread from scratch every single week, the kind that started brewing booch way before I did, and the kind that is incredibly aware and attuned to his niece’s food allergies.

His text read:

“Hi, how ya doing? We need to chat about gluten free options for Thanksgiving sometime soon. I’m bringing a gluten and dairy free pumpkin pie. Fairly amazing. Gluten free cranberry pecan pie. I’m thinking about bringing a gluten free 9-13 dish of stuffing. Are you bringing anything? You’re such a damn good cook!”

He is actually the best.

But furreal. A GF and DF pumpkin pie?! I’m already drooling just thinking about it. But I’m really most excited for that stuffing. Over the last few years, my feelings towards stuffing changed from ‘couldn’t care less’ to ‘gimme ALL of it’. And I was devastated thinking that this would be my first Thanksgiving without it… until now.

Be still my heart.

I am bringing this Kale Salad with Acorn Squash to Thanksgiving!

And I am seriously jazzed about it.

This salad has all of the flavors of fall tossed together in one bowl of goodness.

1. Hearty kale in a balsamic vinaigrette.
2. Roasted acorn squash.
3. Dried cranberries.
4. Goat cheese.
5. Candied pecans.

And as my uncle causally slips into the text message, “it’s fairly amazing.”

I’ll be back on Thursday with an allergy friendly dessert that needs to be on your Thanksgiving table!

If you make this Kale Salad with Acorn Squash, post a picture on social media using the hashtag #imhungrybynature for a chance to be featured!

Kale Salad with Acorn Squash, Goat Cheese, and Candied Pecans

• Author: Ellie
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Side
• Method: Oven

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Description

All of the flavors of fall wrapped up into one Kale Salad with Acorn Squash – topped off with goat cheese, dried cranberries, and candied pecans!

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Ingredients

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• 1 acorn squash
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 large bunch of green kale
• Balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
• 2 ounces goat cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut the acorn squash in half, scooping out seeds. Cut each half into 1/2 inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping squash halfway through.
4. While the squash is roasting, prepare the salad. Wash and dry kale and tear into bite size pieces. Drizzle kale with a balsamic vinaigrette and massage.
5. Heat a skillet over medium-low and add pecans. Toast pecans until they come fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add maple syrup to pecans, making sure they are coated. Turn the heat off after another minute and allow the pecans to cool.
6. Add roasted squash, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese to kale. Toss to combine!

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Keywords: salad, fall, squash, thanksgiving

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