Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Almonds, Pomegranate and Feta in a Lemony Tahini Dressing

After all of the football snacking in January it was time for some healthier dishes starting with this roasted cauliflower and chickpea quinoa and arugula salad/grain bowl. I start this salad out with a base of quinoa and arugula and I build it up with some meaty roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. From there I add some toasted almond slivers for crunch, pomegranate for both the colour and the juicy bursts of sweetness and some salty feta before finishing it off with plenty of fresh herbs like parsley and mint. Continuing with the Mediterranean theme I went with a simple lemony tahini based dressing and despite it simply consisting of tahini, lemon juice and salt it is so amazingly good! One of the things that I like most about this salad, other than the fact that it tastes amazing, is all of the vibrant colours from the black quinoa to the green arugula to the white cauliflower and finally the red pomegranate and I also thoroughly enjoy all of the contrasting textures. If you are looking for a healthy light meal (or a side dish) you just cannot go wrong with this tasty roasted cauliflower and chickpea quinoa and arugula salad/grain bowl!

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Baba Ghanoush Burrito Bowl

After enjoying plenty of baba ghanoush over the past few days I could not help but wonder about turning it into a meal, burrito bowl style. Burrito bowls are basically just deconstructed burritos served in a bowl; they usually start with a base of rice, followed by beans, meat, fresh ingredients, cheese, etc. I figured that baba ghanoush would make an excellent base for a 'burrito bowl' and I wanted to keep things with a Mediterranean theme and topped it with a seasoned ground lamb, fresh tomatoes, Greek yogurt and a hit of feta along with plenty of fresh herbs. I have to say that this baba ghanoush burrito bowl exceeded my expectations making for a really tasty meal that is both satisfying and pretty light and healthy at the same time!

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Baba Ghanoush

A while ago I was on a hummus kick and it reminded me of another great dip that is very similar, baba ghanoush. Baba ghanoush is a levantine dish made with grilled eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt which are basically the same ingredients in hummus replacing the chickpeas with roasted eggplant and that makes it a great, lighter alternative to hummus. Another great thing about baba ghanoush is how easy it is to make, you simply need to roast the eggplant and then puree it with the remaining ingredients and you are ready to dig in with pitas or crackers, etc. Baba ghanoush is commonly garnished with olive oil, parsley or cilantro and optionally chili powder. In addition to making a great dip baba ghanoush also makes a nice side dish or even a light meal and I enjoy having it for breakfasts along with whole wheat pitas.

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Shakshuka

Next up in the Taste of Israel tour of the old city of Yafo was a stop at Dr Shakshuka for some Shakshuka. Shakshouka is a dish where eggs are poached in a tomato and pepper sauce and served along with bread making for a pretty tasty meal. I had actually made shakshuka before but this was the perfect opportunity to update the photos for my recipe. Of course there are pretty much as many different recipes for shaksuka as there are people that make it and I like to keep mine nice and simple with tomatoes and peppers along with a touch of cumin and paprika.

Other than that all you really need is some crusty bread for scooping it up and you are all set! I like my eggs sunny side up with runny yolks so I only cook the eggs briefly after adding them, pulling the whites away so that they cook in the sauce, but you can cook them to your desired level of done-ness and you can place a lid on the pan so that the tops of the eggs cook.

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Hummus

With the arrival of the holidays I got distracted from sharing my adventures on the Taste of Israel tour (see part 1: Kanafeh/Künefe)! After an evening out on the town Tel Aviv there was an early morning tour of the old port in Yaffo, along with sampling some of Yaffo's tasty treats. One of the first things that we stopped for was hummus!

Now if you thought that hummus was just a dip that you bought at the grocery store or made at home with canned chickpeas every once in a while, it could not be further from the truth! In fact there is quite a large hummus 'culture' out there with secret recipes, shops dedicated to making hummus and only hummus, that have been been in business for generations, and even great debates on who makes the best hummus, over dinner, which is just hummus and pitas for dipping. Our first food stop was at Abu Hassan which is apparently one of the fore runners for making the best hummus in Israel. I have to admit that the hummus that I had at Abu Hassan's was the best hummus that I had ever had and that of course meant that I would have to work on my hummus recipe when I returned home!

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

The Greek style salad, a salad with juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, tangy red onions, and salty kalamata olives and feta in a lemon and oregano vinaigrette, has to be one of my favourites and it is so easy to turn it into a light and yet satisfying meal with the addition of quinoa (or a whole grain) along with some chickpeas! I always enjoy using quinoa in salads like this since it is such a nice source of protein, especially when combined with a bean, and it really makes for a salad that eats like a meal. I particularly enjoy this quinoa and chickpea salad because of all of the wonderful Mediterranean flavours where the juicy tomatoes and cucumbers play brilliantly with the salty olives and feta. Another wonderful thing about this salad is how versatile it is, I always have fun changing up the ingredients and some more that work well are roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and even cool and creamy avocados!

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Kanafeh/Künefe (Sweet Cheese Pastry)

A few months ago I got an email inviting me to explore Israel, it's people and it's cuisine on a project called Taste of Israel put on by a group called Stand With Us. At first I was a little leery about the offer but after a bit of research it seemed legit and it was an opportunity that I simply could not pass up and so I went! It turned out to be an absolutely amazing experience filled with lots of great people and of course plenty of amazing food! I enjoyed a lot of dishes in Israel and I just had to try making a few of them at home and sharing them with you!

The adventure started as soon as we got off the plane, after almost 20 hours travel time from Toronto, as we were whisked away to the beautiful Dan Hotel Tev Aviv where after checking in we headed out for dinner at Yaffo Tel Aviv restaurant by Haim Cohen. The meal that we had there was filled with plenty of tasty dishes including a flat bread that was covered in melted garlicky butter and roasted cherry tomatoes but the one dish that really stood out for me was a dessert, the kanafeh.

I had never heard of kanafeh before but as soon as I heard that it was warm cheese in between two layers of light flaky pastry, I was sold! I mean you really cannot go wrong with cheese and I loved the idea of using it in a dessert! This particular künefe was made with goat cheese and it was topped with a sweet apple sauce and the combination of sweet and savoury was phenomenal; I knew immediately that I would have to make kanafeh when I got home!

Kanafeh (aka Kunafeh, aka Künefe, aka...) is a pastry that is common to countries in the Levant region including Turkey, Israel, Greece, etc. and and there are as many different ways of spelling it as there are of making it. It's commonly made with the shredded phyllo like pastry, with the same name as the final dish, and it is usually filled with a neutral, non-salty, stringy cheese and it is baked until the pastry gets nice and golden brown and crispy and it is then smothered in a simple syrup. (Imagine something like a single layered baklava with a cheese filling instead of nuts.)

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Pumpkin Hummus

It's time for another pumpkin recipe and up this time is a super quick and easy pumpkin hummus that is perfect for fall entertaining and and it is nice healthy to boot! Hummus is typically made with mashed chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice but it is easy to add flavour to it like in this case by adding some pumpkin puree. Given the use of pumpkin in this humus it only seemed natural to add a hint of cinnamon to make things a little more exotic. I like to serve the pumpkin hummus topped with pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) along with some toasted whole wheat pitas for dipping making for one light and healthy snack!

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds so one option that I enjoy for this pumpkin hummus is the addition of some ground pepitas which adds another layer of pumpkin flavour!

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Moussaka Burgers

With the long weekend coming up I have been thinking about grilling and in particular about these moussaka burgers. Moussaka is a tasty Mediterranean dish that is typically made with layers of eggplant, meat, a tomato sauce and a cheese bechamel sauce and I have been wanting to try making burgers with these flavours for a while now. I started the burgers off by making a tomato sauce with the hints of cinnamon and allspice that moussaka often has and then I moved on to make a simple bechamel sauce with plenty of melted melted cheese. Up next were the patties which I kept nice and simple, once again seasoning with hints of cinnamon and allspice, and the last component was slices of eggplant that I grilled along with the patties.

All said and done these burgers are amazingly good and they definitely taste like moussaka, only better! These burgers take a bit of time to make but you can easily make the sauces and patties a day ahead and then just warm the sauces and grill the patties and eggplant of the day of your get together with minimal effort. I served the moussaka burgers with a fresh Greek salad.

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Green Olive and Preserved Lemon Tapenade

A couple of weeks ago I made a fresh batch of preserved lemons and now that they were ready it was time to enjoy them! I knew exactly what I would be using the first of them in, a green olive tapenade, where they would add an amazing lemony freshness! Other than the preserved lemons this tapenade is pretty much a basic tapenade and it goes great as an appetizer with crusty bread or crostini or as a condiment in other things like sandwiches! I had the first of the preserved lemon green olive tapenade as a snack with some crusty bread and you will have to check back tomorrow to see what I used the rest of the batch for!

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Chicken Souvlaki Salad

Continuing with the themes of both salads and grilling is this chicken souvlaki salad that was inspired by Gina's recent Mediterranean chicken kebab salad. I am a big fan of all kinds of skewered and grilled meats from around the world but Greek souvlaki has to be one of my favourites! There is just something irresistible about char grilled meat on a stick and I knew that you could not go wrong turning it into a nice light summer meal by placing some in a salad. The first thing that I did was dust off my trusty chicken souvlaki recipe which calls for marinating the chicken in a garlic, lemon, yogurt and oregano
mixture before grilling it to impart it with a ton of flavour. The salad is a simple one consisting of a base of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onions along with some Mediterranean flavours including kalamata olives, crumbled feta and a tzatziki dressing.

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Artichoke and Green Olive Tapenade with Asiago

I only just discovered artichokes a few years ago and I have been hooked ever since! The other day while I was in the grocery store I noticed a jar or artichoke tapenade and an artichoke tapenade sounded like a great idea! I was already thinking about a recipe for the tapenade while dreaming about the ways that I would use it.

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Falafel

Falafel, or fried chickepea patties, have been on my todo list for a while! Making the quioa tabouleh salad reminded of a photo that I had seen a long time ago where perfectly golden brown falafel were served on a bed of tabbouleh and I figured that it was the perfect time to try making falafel! As it turns out, making light, crispy and perfectly golden brown falafel at home is quite easy, though if you are starting with dried chickpeas you do need to let them soak over night so it takes some planning.

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Lamb Meatballs in a Mint Tomato Sauce

Spring does seem to be the time for lamb and about the time that Easter rolls around is when I start thinking about it. Lamb has a stronger flavour than beef or chicken and this means that it can stand up to strong herbs like mint which I always enjoy using in savoury dishes. I had been mulling over the idea of a lamb meatball dish in a mint tomato sauce for a while and now was the time to make it. I wanted to keep the dish fairly simple so I seasoned the lamb meatballs with a few exotic Mediterranean spices including cumin, coriander and cinnamon in addition to the mint and other meatball basics. I purposely made the meatballs fairly large and I fried the meatballs in oil until golden brown on the outside and then added them to the tomato sauce to finish cooking, thereby staying nice and moist and juicy. The tomato sauce pretty simple with flavours similar to the meatballs and it is finished off with a hit of fresh mint. I garnished the meatballs with toasted almond slivers and served them on a bed of light and fluffy whole wheat couscous. Although these meatballs certainly don't need it, if you are feeling more decadent you could also garnish them with some plain yogurt and crumbled feta.

Lamb Meatballs in Mint Tomato Sauce

Mediterranean spiced lamb meatballs in a mint tomato sauce on a bed of light and fluffy couscous.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 batch mint lamb meatballs, browned (see below)
• 1 handful mint, chopped
• 1 handful parsley, chopped
• 1 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted

Directions

1. Heat he oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute until render, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
5. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
6. Add the meatballs, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile cook the couscous as directed on the package.
8. Remove the meatballs and sauce from heat and mix in the mint and parsley.
9. Serve the meatballs in tomato sauce on couscous garnished with toasted almond slivers and more chopped mint and parsley to taste.

Lamb and Mint Meatballs

The mint and parsley add a really nice freshness to these tasty lamb meatballs.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup whole wheat breads crumbs, freshly made
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander, toasted and ground
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Mix the lamb, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
2. Form the mixture into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
3. Heat the oil in a pan.
4. Add the balls a few at a time, without crowding the pan, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Lamb and Mint Meatballs with Farro Risotto and Cilantro Pesto
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) in Pitas with Tzatziki
Greek Lamb Burger
Kolokythokeftedes (Zucchini and Feta Balls)

Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Panini with Cilantro Pesto and Feta

Earlier this week when I made the lamb and mint meatballs with farro risotto and cilantro pesto I made a double batch of the cilantro pesto because I wanted to make sure that I had some estra. Leftover pesto is always good and I like to use it in pastas, whole grain salads, soups and this time I had my heart set on using it in a sandwich. I still had some roasted red peppers in the freezer and I was thinking that a chicken sandwich with roasted red peppers and cilantro pesto would be good. I often like to add cheese to my sandwiches and I was thinking that goat cheese would go well in this one but I already had some feta on hand and I figured that would be just as good. I also like to try to at least try make my sandwiches look a bit healthy so I often add some green in the form of lettuce or in this case some baby spinach. I thought that the sandwich was all done and then while I was thinking about the mediterranean flavours going on, inspiration struck and I knew that I would just have to add a touch of hot smoked paprika!

The sandwich was easy to make and it turned out great! The sweet roasted red pepper went well with the salty feta and the cilantro pesto added a really nice touch of the exotic that rounded out the flavours nicely. Just look at how the feta was starting to melt and ooze out spreading its goodness throughout the sandwich! Adding the smoked paprika was the right call as it really made this sandwich with the hint of smokiness and the touch of heat!

Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Panini with Cilantro Pesto and Feta

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (pounded thin)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices of bread (or 1 bun)
1/2 roasted red pepper
1 handful baby spinach
2 tablespoons cilantro pesto
1 handful feta (mashed)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Dust the chicken with the paprika and season it with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the chicken and cook until it is golden brown on both sides and cooked all the way through, about 4-7 minutes per side.
4. Assemble sandwich, brush both sides with olive oil and grill until golden brown on both sides.

Similar Recipes:
Grilled Portobello and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich with Pistachio Pesto
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese
Grilled Vegetable Panini
Roasted Red Pepper, Pistachio and Feta Stuffed Chicken
Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Sundried Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Grilled Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Sandwich
Marinated Roasted Red Pepper Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Grilled Chicken and Club Sandwich
Grilled Eggplant and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich with Halloumi
Moroccan Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Preserved Lemon Tapenade and Harissa Mayo

Mediterranean Fish Stew

This Mediterranean fish stew recipe that I found on Antics of a Cycling Cook has been on my to try list for a while. With the new year here I have been trying to eat a bit healthier and this dish fit perfectly into that paradigm. This stew is essentially just a simple tomato based stew with fish in it. In fact the tomato base of this stew is very similar to the tomato sauce in the shrimp linguine in a tomato sauce that I recently made. You can pretty much throw whatever vegetables that you wan into the tomato base and you could easily replace the white fish with any other type of seafood. I went with adding some fennel and red peppers to the tomato base and I had my heart set on some nice meaty halibut for the fish, though you could use pretty any white fish. The fish stew came together nice an quickly and easily and it turned out great! The tomato sauce was nice light and full of flavour and you really can't go wrong with halibut! All of the fresh herbs really did it for me in this sauce. I served the fish stew garnished with some feta and a side of crusty bread so soak up all of the tasty sauce.

Mediterranean Fish Stew

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
chili flakes to taste (optional)
1 bulb fennel (sliced)
1 red pepper (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 cup white wine
1 (28 ounce) can diced plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound white fish (such as haddock, halibut, etc., or any seafood)
1/2 cup fresh herbs such as parsley and basil (chopped)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in the pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 6-10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the fennel and red peppers and saute for a few minutes.
5. Add the white wine and simmer for a few minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add the fish simmer until cooked, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove and mix in the fresh herbs.

Similar Recipes:
Shrimp Linguine in a Tomato and White Wine Sauce
Garides Tourkolimano (Greek Shrimp)
Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)
Tilapia alla Puttanesca
Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans)
Fish and Zucchini Puttanesca Stew

Date and Pistachio Terrine

I have some across a few posts about terrines since I started food blogging and although they have always looked really good I had yet to try one. A terrine is a dish that is cooked in a terrine dish which is shaped a lot like a loaf pan. The terrines that I have seen so far reminded me of a meatloaf only they were fancier. Not too long ago I came across a recipe for a date and pistachio terrine in the holiday edition of Food & Drink and I knew exactly what I was going to use the last of my fresh medjool dates in. I liked the sound of using the sweet dates and the pistachios in a meat dish like this and the slices promised to be really pretty with all of the colours. Some of the things that I like about this recipe are that the dates are simmered in port first and the whole thing is wrapped up in prosciutto! I also like the Asian spice blend that promised to add a nice hint of the exotic.

The terrine was a little bit more work to make than a meatloaf with the pitting the dates, simmering them and then wrapping everything in the prosciutto but, it was still pretty easy. One interesting thing about the recipe is that you are supposed to refrigerate it overnight after you cook it and I had read in one place that terrine was supposed to be served cold or at least not hot. The date and pistachio terrine turned out really well! The medjool dates and pistachios went surprisingly well surrounded by subtly spiced moist and tender pork. Of course the salty prosciutto wrapping finished the terrine off really well. I enjoyed the terrine both warmed an not. I served some of the terrine cut into thick slices on a bed of salad greens with a dab of grainy mustard. The terrine also worked well when sliced thinly as an appetizer either all by itself or on toasted baguette slices along with some mayo-mustard and even a dab of blackberry preserves on top. With my first terrine being such a success I look forward to trying more!

Date and Pistachio Terrine

(makes 8+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup medjool dates (pitted and quartered)
1 cup port
5 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch pieces)
3/4 teaspoon five spice
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup pistachios
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
12 slices prosciutto

Directions:
1. Simmer the dates in the port until it is all absorbed, about 20-30 minutes and set aside.
2. Pulse the bacon in a food processor a few times.
3. Mix the bacon, five spice, cardamom, nutmeg, sugar, salt, white wine and pistachios into the pork.
4. Drape the prosciutto across a loaf pan in overlapping layers.
5. Place 1/3 of the mixture into the loaf pan followed by 1/2 of the dates, 1/3 of the pork, the remaining dates and the remaining pork.
6. Wrap the overhanging prosciutto over to seal it.
7. Cover in foil and place in a baking dish with water coming up half way.
8. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F.
9. Let cool, drain the excess juices, wrap in plastic and refrigerate over night.

Similar Recipes:
Bacon Wrapped Roast Pork Loin
Chipotle Turkey Meat Loaf
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates

Roasted Eggplant, Red Pepper and Green Bean Pomegranate Salad

While I was researching the roasted butternut squash and pomegranate salad I came across the idea of a Mediterranean feta salad with pomegranate dressing. Not only did it include pomegranates, that I am currently really into, but it also starred two of my favorite ingredients, roasted eggplant and roasted red peppers. I like both the roasted eggplant and roasted red peppers so much that I could easily eat them plain but this salad sounded too good to do that!

I took the basic idea from the recipe made some modifications. I started by replacing the spices that seasoned the eggplant with the ones that I used in the roasted butternut squash and pomegranate salad as I had really liked them. I then replaced the pomegranate dressing with the pomegranate vinaigrette that I had been using recently. I also added some chopped toasted walnuts and I replaced the parsley with some mint which I though would go better in the salad.

Eggplant can sometimes be bitter and the trick to a good eggplant dish is to properly salt the eggplant before using it. You want to generously sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let it sit for a good 20-30 minutes and then rinse the salt and and pat it dry. If you do this you won't have to suffer through bitter eggplant again. The roasted eggplant, red pepper and green bean pomegranate salad turned out amazingly well! The eggplant was roasted perfectly, such that it practically melted in your mouth and the spices coating it were really nice. This salad was an amazing combination of spices, flavours, texture and even colours! I have been making a lot of pomegranate salads lately and this one is easily my favorite!

Roasted Eggplant, Red Pepper and Green Bean Pomegranate Salad

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants (cut into bite sized pieces)
salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
2 roasted red peppers (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 pound green beans (blanched)
1/4 cup red onions (diced)
1/4 cup walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta
1 handful mint (chopped)
1/4 cup pomegranate vinaigrette

Directions:
1. Salt the eggplant and let it sit for 20 minute, rinse and pat it dry.
2. Toss the eggplant in the olive oil and season with the cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
3. Roast the eggplant in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes and set aside.
4. Assemble the salad and toss to coat in the dressing.

Similar Recipes:
Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper Farro Salad
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Roasted Eggplant Pasta
Pomegranate and Roasted Tomato Bulgur Salad
Roasted Mushroom and Green Bean Farro Salad
Apple and Pomegranate Quinoa and Kale Salad with Feta in a Curried Maple Dijon Dressing

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad

The grocery stores are still full of pomegranates and I could not resist picking some more up. Pomegranates seem to be made perfectly for throwing into salads and I was thinking about salads again while deciding what to do with these ones. This time I wanted to try something more seasonal and a bit different from the last few pomegranate salads than I had made. I also happened to have some butternut squash and hand and it kept popping into my head so I thought, why not a warm roasted butternut squash and pomegranate salad? Pomegranates have a Mediterranean feel to them so I thought that it would be nice to season the butternut squash with some Mediterranean spices before roasting them for an extra kick of flavour. Other that the roasted butternut squash and the pomegranate seeds, I called upon the usual suspects for a salad including some romaine lettuce, walnuts and feta. Of course I had to go with the pomegranate vinaigrette that I have been enjoying so much lately for the dressing. The warm roasted spiced butternut squash went well in the salad and the contrasting temperatures, textures and flavours were really amazing. While I was enjoying the salad I thought that it would also work well with other types of squash or pumpkins, sweet potatoes or even beets. I am looking forward to playing around with this kind of salad some more.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad

(makes 4 side dish sized servings or 2 light meal sized servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into bit sized cubes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups romaine lettuce (cut into bite sized pieces)
1/4 cup walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta
2 tablespoons pomegranate vinaigrette

Directions:
1. Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
2. Roast the squash in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 30-40 minutes and set aside.
3. Assembled the salad and toss with the dressing to coat.

Similar Recipes:
Pomegranate Tabbouleh Salad
Pomegranate and Pistachio Couscous
Roasted Eggplant, Red Pepper and Green Bean Pomegranate Salad
Caramelized Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Salad
Festive Roast Pumpkin Salad
Pomegranate and Roasted Tomato Bulgur Salad
Apple and Pomegranate Quinoa and Kale Salad with Feta in a Curried Maple Dijon Dressing

Pomegranate Tabbouleh Salad

The other day when I was enjoying my pomegranate and pistachio whole wheat couscous salad it reminded me a little of tabbouleh. Tabouleh is a Mediterranean parsley salad that also commonly includes things like bulgur, mint, tomatoes, etc. I always enjoy whole grain salads and I was thinking that one would make for a nice light day before T day meal. For the pomegranate tabbouleh salad I went with the standard tabbouleh components and then I added pomegranate seeds and some of the pomegranate vinaigrette from the pomegranate couscous salad for the pomegranate components. From there I added some chopped walnuts and some feta to make the salad a bit heartier. The pomegranate tabbouleh salad turned out great! The the bulgur was light and fluffy and the pomegranate vinaigrette ensured that it stayed nice and moist. I really enjoyed the salty feta and juicy sweet and tart pomegranate combo. The large amount of parsley and mint made the salad seem so fresh and vibrant. I will definitely be making this pomegranate tabbouleh salad again!

Pomegranate Tabbouleh Salad

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 cup parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup mint (chopped)
1/4 cup green onions (chopped)
1/2 cup tomato (chopped)
1/2 cup cucumber (chopped)
1/4 cup walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta
3 tablespoons pomegranate vinaigrette

Directions:
1. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat.
2. Mix in the bulgur, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
3. Toss the bulgur with the parsley, mint, green onion, tomato, cucumber, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and feta in the pomegranate vinaigrette to coat.

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