Holiday Grain Salad

SOUND BITE

This hearty and healthy recipe isn’t just pretty to look at, it’s pretty tasty, too! As much as I love and crave salads, sometimes leafy green ones don’t cut it in the fall or winter. That’s when this colorful salad comes to the rescue. It’s an excellent addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.

How to Cut Butternut Squash

What’s the best way to conquer cubing a butternut squash without cutting off your fingers?

Glad you asked! Because squash can be a bit of a beast to chop

Here’s a little shortcut if your squash is acting stubborn—poke the skin all over with a fork, then pop it in the microwave for two to three minutes. This will soften things up just enough to make peeling and slicing easier.

Slice off both ends so your squash can sit flat on your cutting board instead of wobbling around like me on roller skates. No, seriously, you should see me on ANY type of skates! It’s not a pretty sight.

Next up—peel it. A super-sharp vegetable peeler works best, and you MUST do a good job peeling off the tough skin—unless you like the taste of a garden hose in your salad.

Cut the squash in half where the long neck meets the round bottom. And here’s a shopping tip: The longer the neck and the smaller the bulb, the fewer annoying seeds you have to deal with.

That’ll give you two smaller, easy-to-handle pieces. For the bulb, scoop out the slippery seeds (I use an ice cream scoop!) then chop both big pieces into cubes.

Now you’re ready to toss the cubes with olive oil and seasonings and roast until tender and caramelized.

Roasted squash adds a sweet, earthy pop of flavor to salads, plus it pairs so well with grains, greens and feta (which you know I love), giving your salad a cozy fall vibe.

Don’t let the somewhat daunting task of peeling and cubing this vegetable squash your salad dreams.