Warm Winter Squash Salad

It's been a snowy weekend here in Seattle.  I started my weekend with a trip to the grocery store to stock up on goods in case the weather got worse.  And besides heading out to the gym a few times, we've pretty much stayed indoors.  Between Dance Central on kinect, cleaning projects, photo and writing projects, and being entranced with season 2 of Lost, I've kept myself pretty occupied.  The cats enjoyed watching the falling snow and Bilbo decided that sitting at my photography station (where I photograph all of my food photos) was the coziest place to watch the weather.  And fulfill his dream of being a kitty model.

It is usually hard for me to eat salads during the winter because cold food doesn't sound as appealing, but I happily munched on this one all weekend.  This salad starts with a bed of peppery arugula topped off with warm delicata squash and french lentils.  It's finished with sweet pomegranate seeds and a tangy lemon dressing.  This salad was just what I needed to power our kinect marathon and keep me warm during the snowstorm. 

Warm Winter Squash Salad
Serves 4
1 cup french lentils, cooked
2 cups water
2 medium delicata squash
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
6 cups of baby arugula

Add lentils and water to a pot over high heat.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash into equal bite-size pieces.  Toss with coconut oil and lay flat on sheet pan.  Roast for 20 minutes, until tender, turning at least once.

Divide the arugula amongst four plates.  Top with warm lentils, squash, and pomegranate seeds.

Dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

juice from 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon brown mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients until combined.  Drizzle over salad and serve. 

Arugula & Bean Salad

When life gives you lemons... make salad dressing.

I've been carrying some big cash around in my wallet since graduation and have been paranoid about losing it for the past week. Yesterday I went to Costco and was planning to spend some of it. However, when I opened my wallet, it was gone. I completely lost it in the middle of the store. Instant panic, followed by a car ride home of crying. Way to go me. Turns out, I'd left it at home anyway. What a great use of emotional energy, huh?

It made me think about all the times in my life that I've freaked out over something so small. Even in that moment I knew it was just money. It wasn't my health, my loved ones, or another oil spill. It was just a piece of paper. I'll work harder at believing that the next time something like this rolls around...

Last night I went to a friend's going away party. The funny thing is that my friend lost her wallet with some big money earlier this week too. I guess it really isn't funny because she never found her money. Hey Universe, when you decide to pay her back, don't forget that she'll be in the Southern California desert. It sucks when the Universe forgets your address.

As me and Ashley were leaving the party, she said that I must be pretty sad now with school being over and friends moving away. What I realized in that moment is that as much as I will miss the people leaving my life, I have enjoyed them being in my life so much that it is okay. If friends didn't move, we'd never have going away parties. And those, are pretty dang fun.

So, when you have a bad day, or maybe you're just hungry, help yourself to a salad with some lemon dressing. It may not make everything better, but at least your tummy will feel good.


Makes 2 salads

4 cups arugula
1/2 cup cooked beans, cooled (I used baby lima beans)
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 Tbs Italian seasoning (If you don't have this handy, just use a mix of thyme, oregano, and basil)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive Oil

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Wait about a minute then add the onion slices and turn the heat to low-medium. Make sure that all the onions are covered in oil and add more if needed. Turn the onions with a spatula every 5 minutes or so. If they start to stick to the pan, add more oil. Add your Italian seasoning after about 15 minutes. The onions should caramelize in about 20-25 minutes.

While the onions are going, mix the lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss with your greens. Add the greens to two plates and top with the beans. (I always have a stash of cooked beans on hand, but if you don't have any or don't want to cook them yourself, grab a can.)

When the onions have caramelized, or when you get tired of waiting, let them sit for a moment and then add to your salad. Garnish with some tomato slices and serve.