Warm Freekeh Salad

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We had dinner at a friend’s house the other night, and she always cooks the most delicious meals.  She served us a warm freekeh dish that had me fighting the internal battle about asking what they intended to do with the leftovers when we were done.  HA!  I managed to restrain myself but a couple of days later I whipped this up because the craving wouldn’t quit.  If you haven’t had freekeh, it’s a cracked wheat- chewy, earthy flavored and so, so good served in a warm salad like this.  You could mix it with so many things but I chose roasted butternut squash, shallot, pomegranates, heaping bunches of mint and crumbled sheep’s feta.  And of course, always: garlic, salt and fresh cracked pepper.  So, so tasty.  Hope you love!   Recipe below.   xx- Sarah  {Styling Sources:  shallow bowls, large serving bowl, serving spoons, flatware}

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STUFFED KABOCHA SQUASH

It’s the season for hearty vegetable dishes AND pomegranates!!  So this weekend when I combined the two I was pretty much the happiest creature alive.  If I were a cat I’d have been purring loud enough for the neighbors to hear!  I won’t go on and on about how tasty and easy this dish is, even though I could.  For days.  Happy Monday friends!  xx- Sarah  {more after the jump}

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kale, pomegranate & butternut squash salad

i’m generally too lazy to eat pomegranates, but this sweet little salad makes it so worth the work! and i saved the extra dijon dressing for more salads this week, or to use with roasted veggies. which makes me feel like i’m saving time, further justifying the extra pomegranate de-seeding time. also, i believe eating this many nutrients in one meal qualifies one for 2 chocolate chip cookie indulgences. OH SNAP! and while i don’t think i’ve mentioned it before, we buy organic everything. it makes a difference i tell you, especially when fruits and veggies are concerned. less pesticides = more flavor. scientific fact. i hope you like! 

the what:

 

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 medium pomegranate (1 cup of sweet seeds)

1 medium butternut squash (2 cups of cubed chunks)

evoo

1/4 c white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons high grade amber maple syrup

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

sea salt

pepper

the how:

 

peel and cut butternut squash into small chunks{ >1″}, remove seeds and stringy squash business

coat in olive oil, lightly salt and roast at 400 degrees until pieces are soft (roughly 30 minutes)

while squash is roasting, chop kale & harvest pomegranate seeds (tips on how here). mix both in large serving bowl.

now for the dressing! in a small bowl mix 2 tblspoons olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and maple syrup. add salt and pepper to taste. (this makes more than enough for this salad, reduce recipe if you’re not into leftovers)

when squash is ready toss it in with the kale and pomegranate. mix, add dressing and chill. the salad, not you. you get to work making something tasty to eat with this!