Winter Harvest Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

Kale salad with roasted squash, pomegranate, and a maple balsamic dressing from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen.

This beautiful Winter Harvest Salad is from Alexis Kornblum Davidson’s new cookbook Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: 150 Delicious Paleo-Friendly Recipes to Nourish Your Life. I love the combination of kale salad with winter squash, and pomegranate. Not to mention the easy maple Dijon dressing.

Lexi’s Clean Kitchen—named for Lexi’s blog—includes healthy versions of everything from breakfasts to main courses to drinks to desserts. I bookmarked the Classic Baked Chicken Nuggets, Pad Thai, and S’mores Pots de Creme to try first. This post includes affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

There are so many creative recipes to choose from (look inside the book and see the table of contents here). And the recipes include allergy and special diet labels so you can see at a glance whether they are dairy-free, nut-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly.

This kale salad is perfect for fall and winter, and would be a great addition to any holiday meal. It’s gluten-free, paleo, and vegan to please all of your guests!

Print Recipe

Winter Harvest Salad

Servings: 2 -4 servings

Author: Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Ingredients

Roasted Squash

• 1 medium kabocha squash
• 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• pinch of fine sea salt
• pinch of cinnamon

Salad

• 6 to 8 cups destemmed and chopped kale
• 1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• ½ cup raw pecans
• ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
• 1 batch Maple Balsamic Dressing recipe below

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Slice the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Cut the squash into ½-inch slices and toss with the 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and cinnamon. Place the squash on the lined baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes, until fork-tender. Once done, let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. (There’s no need to peel the skin of kabocha squash; it’s edible!)
• While the squash is roasting, massage the kale with the 1 tablespoon of oil for 1 to 2 minutes, until evenly coated. Set aside.
• In a small sauté pan over medium-low heat, toast the pecans until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes, stirring often to ensure that they don’t burn.
• Assemble the salad: Divide the kale between two plates or place it in a large serving bowl. Top with the roasted kabocha squash, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pecans. Dress the salad with as much dressing as you’d like and serve immediately.

Notes

You can also use 2 acorn squash (since they’re smaller) or 1 large butternut squash in this recipe! If using either of these two squashes, peel them and then roast as directed in Step 2.

Print Recipe

Maple Balsamic Dressing

Author: Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

• Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Store the dressing in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Winter Harvest Salad and Maple Balsamic Dressing recipes and photos reprinted with permission from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: 150 Delicious Paleo-Friendly Recipes to Nourish Your Life by Alexis Kornblum Davidson (Victory Belt Publishing Inc.).

More paleo salad recipes

Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Antipasto Salad with Italian Dressing