Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I made this salad last night for dinner and it was a hit!

If you have the ingredients on hand, please give it a try.

Sorry no pictures...we just couldn't wait to eat it!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
3 cups winter squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

extra-virgin olive oil

fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups shallots or 3 medium red onions peeled and quartered

2 cups cooked wild rice*
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons warm water

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

crumbled feta or goat cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.Toss the squash in a generous splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet. At the same time, toss the onions with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and turn out onto a separate baking sheet. Roast both for about 45 minutes, or until squash is brown and caramelized. The same goes for the onions, they should be deeply colored, caramelized, and soft throughout by the time they are done roasting. You'll need to flip both the squash and onion pieces once or twice along the way - so it's not just one side that is browning.

In the meantime, make the dressing. With a hand blender or food processor puree the sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and honey until creamy. You may need to add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing a bit. Stir in the cilantro, saving just a bit to garnish the final plate later. Taste and adjust seasonings (or flavors) to your liking - I usually need to add a touch more salt with this dressing.

In a large bowl, toss the wild rice with a large dollop of the dressing. Add the onions, gently toss just once or twice. Turn the rice and onions out onto a platter and top with the roasted squash Finish with another drizzle of dressing and any remaining chopped cilantro. If using, top with the crumbled feta or goat cheese.

* To cook wild rice: Rinse 1 1/2 cups wild rice. In a medium sauce pan bring the rice and 4 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until rice is tender and splitting open, stirring occasionally. You'll have enough for this recipe and some leftover.

I topped ours with goat cheese but you could serve alongside grilled chicken or fish as well.

Enjoy!

this recipe is adapted from Super Natural Everyday