This salad though! In all seriousness if you love flavor and salad, you will love this Berbere Delicata Squash Salad. If you have been following along with us, you know that we have a love affair with foods of different cultures. We are always on a quest to learn more about different foods and ways that we can incorporate them into our everyday cooking. Berbere is a beautiful Ethiopian spice mixture and has become a staple in our house. It is spicy from the chili peppers, but has lots of flavor from the cumin, garlic, coriander, ginger and other aromatic spices.
Delicata squash is sweet like butternut so it is the perfect compliment to the heat of the berbere. I roast the squash with olive oil and berbere, so it has a lot of flavor. The salad is topped with tart cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, red onion, and roasted pumpkin seeds. The dressing has a bit of honey to help round out the spice and tang. I love playing with different flavors, and this salad is a perfect example of how when we step out of comfort zone we can create something really beautiful.
- Salad:
- 1 medium delicata squash
- 2 tsp berbere spice mix
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups of dark leafy greens, your choice
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese, optional
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- Dressing:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds. Cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick half moons. Toss with berbere, salt and olive oil. Spread squash out evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, flipping halfway. Allow to cool slightly.
- To make the dressing, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the greens, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, red onion and goat cheese (if using). Toss with enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Transfer to a large platter and top with the roasted squash and parsley leaves. Serve immediately.
Checkout our other berbere recipe: Berbere Lentil and Carrot Soup!