Kale, Delicata, Dill Quinoa Salad with Spicy Almond Butter Dressing

Do you guys remember Marcel the Shell? And more importantly, the SECOND one? For some reason, I was reminded of these brilliant videos last week and have been able to think of nothing besides “treats and snoozin’, snoozin’ and treats” for the last week. So, I re-watched them. AND DISCOVERED THERE IS A THIRD!!! It’s been out for a year, but apparently I’m living under a rock and therefore missed it’s grand reveal. I’m still a fan of #2 (how can you beat treats and snoozin?), but MAN. I love those videos.

Now that you’ve watched an adorable shell with shoes and one big googly eye, we should talk squash. DELICATA SQUASH, to be precise!

I think I’ve only had delicata squash like 3x in my entire life… and every time I think ‘OH MY GOSH THIS IS THE BEST THING I’VE EVER EATEN WHY DON’T I EAT IT MORE OFTEN!?’ Seriously. I’m a big fan of butternut, but in my book it can’t even hold a candle to delicata. How is this stuff SO TASTY!? It’s crazy. I’m officially committing to eating as much delicata as is humanly possible this fall/winter. Brace yourselves.

This salad is waaay easy and waaay tasty. Roast the squash, cook some quinoa, add some dill and lemon, steam the kale… and mix up a spicy almond butter dressing to give it all a little UMPH. If you don’t want spicy, just leave out the sriracha. I won’t hold it against you.

Have a wonderful Wednesday! And a wonderful rest of your week! I’m off to go camping again… perhaps more off the radar than last week. Keep an eye on my instagram for some outdoorsy goodness! xo

Kale, Delicata, Dill Quinoa Salad with Spicy Almond Butter Dressing

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 delicata squash
• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 4 cups fresh kale leaves, torn
• 3 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup microgreens (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Slice the squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, then cut across into 1/2″ half-moons. Toss with 1 tsp olive oil and ample salt & pepper.
2. Spread the squash in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the underside is considerably browned/blackened. Remove, and set aside.
3. While the squash is cooking, rinse and cook the quinoa according to the directions. When the quinoa is done, add 1 tsp olive oil, the lemon juice, and the dill. Stir to combine.
4. When the quinoa is almost done, steam the kale in a large frying pan with 1 cup of water. Cover with a lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
5. To make the dressing, whisk together the almond butter, apple cider vinegar, sriracha, and water until smooth.
6. To assemble the salad, layer the kale, quinoa, and squash. Top with the dressing, and microgreens, if using.

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