Warm Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing ♥ Recipe

Today's weeknight-easy dinner idea: A warm salad, just cubes of spiced and roasted winter squash tossed with chickpeas and a lemon-brightened tahini dressing.

Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for a Cozy Mid-Winter Dinner. Easy Weeknight Supper. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free.

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What Do Followers Want from A Veggie Venture?

Last fall, I asked readers what they wanted more of from A Veggie Venture. The answers followed two paths.
More of the Same – Thanks for that vote of confidence!
More Vegetarian Suppers – Okay, got it. Great idea!

But the truth is, at the moment, my diet includes more meat than it has for many years, so vegetarian meals require more planning, less habit. My new tactic, for my own flexitarian lifestyle and to satisfy readers' requests, is to set aside one day a week for a vegetarian meal, you know, like a Meatless Monday. With any luck, it'll work out for everyone!

First up, this warm salad made from roasted winter squash. It is an extremely satisfying salad, warm and aromatic, with good texture contrast between the roasted squash and the chickpeas. The tahini dressing is especially good, a definite keeper.

COMPLIMENTS!
"I made this the other day. Isn't it delicious ..." ~ brandin + kari
"Yum! ... Raves from everyone over 15!" ~ Kirsten
"It was a success! Both my dinner guest and boyfriend liked it. I loved the color and the taste." ~ Anonymous
"... it is delicious." ~ moo
"It was totally delicious! I'm excited just thinking about my leftovers..." ~ Anonymous

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WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKPEA SALAD with TAHINI DRESSING

Hands-on time: 40 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/2 hours
Makes about 5 cups

ROAST THE SQUASH
1 large butternut squash, washed, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces (here's how to peel and cut a butternut squash without losing a finger)
Olive oil (allow about 1 tablespoon per pound of edible squash)
Spices (allow about 1/2 teaspoon per pound of edible squash)
Garlic (allow about 1-1/2 cloves per pound of edible squash)
Kosher salt to taste

TAHINI DRESSING (see TIPS)
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest and juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1-1/2 tablespoons tahini, stirred well
Hot water to thin to desired consistency

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
Roasted Squash
1/4 cup very finely chopped red onion (skip if using Spiced Pickled Red Onions)
15 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Tahini Dressing to taste

Arugula or other fresh greens
Spiced Pickled Red Onions, optional but recommended
Sesame seeds, optional but nice

ROAST THE SQUASH Heat the oven to 425F/220C. Prep the squash and if you can, weigh it to determine how much olive oil, spice and garlic to use. In a large bowl, toss the squash with the oil, spices, garlic and salt; really get in there to stir, making sure all the pieces are equally coated. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, roast for 25 - 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the squash is fully cooked and beginning to brown.

TAHINI DRESSING Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Here, this makes about 6 tablespoons dressing, you may/may not use it all, that will depend on how much squash there is and how "dressed" you like a salad like this.

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD In the same large bowl, toss the Roasted Squash, fresh red onion, chickpeas, parsley or cilantro with Tahini Dressing to taste. In individual bowls, arrange the arugula or other greens, top with the still-warm squash-chickpea mixture then with Spiced Pickled Red Onions and a scattering of sesame seeds.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
SQUASH SIZES Oh my, such variance! Little ones, big ones and everything in between. To yield 5 cups of the salad, start off with a squash that weighs just under 3 pounds, it will yield about 1-3/4 pounds of edible flesh. With such variance, that's why I state the oil, spices and garlic according to how much squash there is.
MIXING UP THE SPICES The inspiring recipe calls for allspice. But my favorite spices with butternut squash are curry and ginger so I recommend them. I've also used a mix of cumin and smoked paprika, excellent. Really, anything will do, think of the spice that will best complement the rest of the meal or is your own favorite.
SWEET POTATO? CARROT? Once, I was short on butternut squash so added a sweet potato. This added both color and flavor variation which I loved. But the squash cooked faster than the sweet potato so to compensate, if using both, make sure the sweet potatoes are cut slightly smaller. I suspect that carrot would be excellent too.
HOW MUCH DRESSING? Both I and other cooks have found the full amount of dressing to be "too much". But other times, it's quite enough. I suspect that once again, it's because of the variability in squash sizes. Use what you like!
BIG BOWLS! I like to use a really big bowl for tossing vegetables for roasting. It makes it easier to use less oil and still coat the vegetable pieces really well.
LEFTOVERS The squash reheats beautifully but the chickpeas turn into little bullets. Think about pulling them out before re-warming any leftovers.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 226 Calories; 7g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 141mg Sodium; 36g Carb; 8g Fiber; 7g Sugar; 7g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 7 & Freestyle 2 & myWW green 5 & blue 2 & purple 2 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = scant 1/2 cup (3g protein).

See the inspiring recipe at Smitten Kitchen

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More Favorite Butternut Squash Recipes

~ My Favorite Winter Squash Recipes ~
~ How to Cut, Peel & Cube a Butternut Squash and Keep All Ten Fingers ~
~ How to Roast a Whole Butternut Squash ~

~ Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Tagine ~
~ Savory Bread Pudding with Butternut Squash, Chard & Cheddar ~
~ Steamed Butternut Squash in a Collapsible Steamer Basket ~
~ Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Glaze ~
~ more winter squash recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple ~
~ Chicken & Wild Rice Soup ~
~ Squash Puff ~
~ more winter squash ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

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Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

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