This salad is absolutely loaded with flavor, texture, and color, making it a perfect comfort food for chillier fall/winter days. And as an added bonus, all of those colors provide different nutrients, making this a nutritional powerhouse of a salad!
The prep work is the hardest part about this salad, and I’ll admit that it does involve a lot of peeling and chopping. And then once everything is chopped, you’ll also have to roast a few things in the oven. But good news! You can put all of the veggies in the oven at the same time, and before you know it, everything will be ready to go. And guess what? That’s the hardest part! Because after that, all that’s left to do is to simply toss it all together and pour the dressing on top.
And as far as the dressing goes, it’s also extremely easy to make! Simply whisk a few ingredients together in a bowl, and just like that you have your dressing made! I prefer to make my dressing at least a few hours ahead of time (if not the day before), so that way the flavors blend together and taste better when you serve it. Then I’ll simply remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature as I start making the salad. But if you don’t have time, or you simply forgot to make it ahead, then don’t sweat it – it still tastes great! It’ll just taste even better on the second day you eat it.
Now personally, I enjoy kale when it’s sautéed in oil or cooked down to the point where it’s not bitter anymore. It has a great taste and texture this way, and let’s not forget to mention that kale is loaded with nutrients! So that’s why I chose to use kale in this recipe (chopped very finely). However, I know that some people aren’t a fan, so in that case, no need to worry, because it also works very well with baby spinach!
If you do decide to use spinach instead of kale, my suggestion is to lightly sauté it down. That way, it’s less of a “salad”, per se, where spinach is the bulk of it and the other veggies are just “toppings”. And the same thing applies if you decide to follow the original recipe and use kale: lightly massage the kale in oil to soften it, or you can also sauté it down a bit to soften it.
Once all the veggies are prepped, chopped, and ready to go, mix it all up, pour the dressing over top, and give it a final toss. If you want, you can always top with some additional cranberries, pomegranate arils, or whichever toppings you prefer.
This dish can easily be doubled if you want to meal prep lunches for the week or serve it for large crowds of people. However, you can also just make the recipe as-is and serve it as a side dish alongside your dinner. Like I said before, it’s super versatile, and I promise you don’t want to miss out on this recipe!
Now all that’s left to do is dig in and ENJOY!
Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 cups Brussels sprouts halved
- 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 2-3 cups butternut squash peeled and diced
- 4 large beets cooked, peeled, and diced
- 1 large apple peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils optional
Maple Tahini Dressing
- 5 TBSP tahini
- 2 TBSP maple syrup
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBSP lemon juice freshly-squeezed
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 4-6 TBSP water or enough to thin mixture out
- 1 1/2 cups kale or baby spinach tightly packed and sliced thinly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil or silicone baking mats. Drizzle each with about 1 TBSP olive oil.
- Spread the sweet potatoes and/or squash on one baking sheet, and spread the beets and Brussels sprouts on the second baking sheet. Season with salt, if desired, and toss to coat in the oil.
- Roast the veggies for 40 or so minutes, or until tender and cooked through. Remove from oven.
- While veggies are roasting, prepare the dressing: whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic. Add cold water 1 TBSP at a time and mix until dressing is thinned out and pourable. This step can also be done in advance, and the dressing can be kept in the refrigerator. Simply remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature about one hour before starting.
- Finely slice the kale into small pieces (or if using spinach, tear into pieces), and lightly massage in olive oil and sea salt to soften. Or, you can also add it to a medium skillet and sauté it lightly until softened.
- Combine the kale (or spinach) with the remaining salad ingredients and toss well. Pour about half of the dressing over top (add more water if it has thickened), mix well, and then pour the remaining dressing on top. Mix everything up one last time, and then serve.
