Recipes•Salads•Side Dishes

Thanksgiving Dinner

November 28, 2017 by karine Recipe rating:
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The best Thanksgiving turns out to be Friendsgiving! We moved to Detroit to be near family-my husband’s but in the end, it’s hard to see everyone on Thanksgiving with in-laws here and there… so as it turns out, our favorite, non-stressful time for Thanksgiving, is Friendsgiving!

I love cooking but sometimes the pressure of making a perfect turkey for 20-25 people can be nerve racking. But with my super little Thermopop thermometer, not much can go wrong, unless I I forget to put the timer!

I usually do the traditional sides, but with a twist. For example, instead of stuffing, I do a savory bread pudding.  You can assemble it a day or two before and just pop it in the oven 1 hour before the Turkey is done.

I always love salads, so on this post I will put the maple roasted winter squash salad… it’s a different take on a normal winter squash salad. I hope you enjoy! 

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Maple roasted butternut squash salad

This is a delicious side dish that goes well with any Thanksgiving meal

Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword burrata, butternut squash, hazelnuts
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into wedges
  • seeds of squash
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts, but other nuts work too, if none like-walnuts/macademia and so on
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
  • 6 oz burrata, if none, use chunks of fresh mozzerella

For the vinaigrette

  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 minced shallot
  • 3 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
  • salt-preferably Maldon salt

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F

To roast the squash

  1. In a large bowl, toss the squash with oilve oil, maple syrup and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet- and roast till tender and browned along the edges-about 20-25 minutes. Half way through, toss the squash for even roasting. Let cool at room temperature

    At the same time, roast your squash seeds- toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for about 10 minutes-this is a fun addition to the salad or a nice little snack, while cooking.

Toast the nuts- mix a bit of maple syrup and salt and toast in oven for 10 mins

For the vinaigrette

  1. In a small bowl add vinegar, maple syrup and whisk. Slowly drizzle in the oil to form a creamy emulsion. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Fold in the shallots

To serve

  1. Toss the roasted squash, arugula and pomegranate to a big platter, add a little vinaigrette at a time. The salad should be lightly dressed-arugula should have a shimmer, and not be drenched. DON'T OVER DRESS. Also, dress the salad, just before serving to avoid wilted arugula. Top the salad with the nuts and burrata and add salt (Maldon) and pepper-drizzle with extra virgin olive oil!

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