Delicata Squash & Chickpea Kale Salad with Miso-Harissa Dressing

Delicata Squash & Chickpea Kale Salad with Miso-Harissa Dressing

Let me tell ya, wine tasting can really take it out of a girl. Thank god for kale salads to help us get back on track. Kale salads and a lot of green juice that is! Honestly though, we had an absolute blast in Walla Walla, Washington.  Thank you all for your sweet comments about our anniversary. It felt so good to leave our worries behind and head for the grapes. We tasted so many wonderful wines and it was absolutely gorgeous seeing all the vineyards.  However, all good things must come to an end and we feel more rested and motivated to kickstart farm season. We're ready to put our wine glasses down and eat more kale. This salad is our detox salad. It is full of superfood nutrition and a good dose of my two favorite condiments, harissa and miso. If your local grocery store doesn't carry Harissa I highly recommend ordering some. I've been putting it on everything! You can read about my love for it here. The inspiration for this salad comes from my brothers girlfriend Rebekah.  She made a similar salad when we were visiting them in November and I haven't been able to get it off my mind since.  She followed Heidi Swanson's recipe for Roasted Delicata Squash and Kale Salad. I love all of Heidi Swanson's recipes and this is no exception! I decided to switch things up a bit by roasting chickpeas instead of potatoes and tinkered with our toppings.   I love this salad and the flavors are so complex and delicious I can't seem to get enough! Before you grab a fork and dig into this salad head on over and read my interview with The Chalkboard Magazine. I'm over the moon excited to be featured on their site and I hope you enjoy the article. Okay, go eat your greens now!

Roasted Delicata Squash and Chickpea Kale Salad with Miso-Harissa Dressing

Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized delicata squash, cut into 1/4 inch rounds (no need to peel the skin is edible)
  • 1 large bunch of kale, tough stems removed and cut into bite sized pieces (I like the curly kale for this recipe but any variety will work)
  • 1 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas, if canned rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup almonds, finely chopped
  • 1 TBS olive oil
Miso-Harissa Dressing:
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white miso
  • 1 TBS harissa (start with a little less if you are sensitive to spice and add more if necessary)
  • 3 TBS lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together until smooth. (This works best with an immersion blender, but a hand whisk is fine too) Taste test and add anything if needed. It should be intensely flavorful but if it's too spicy or salty dilute it with a bit more olive oil.
  3. Toss the delicata squash rounds and chickpeas together with 1 TBS olive oil. Place on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until squash is fork tender and chickpeas are lightly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Toss mixture halfway through cooking time.
  4. Drizzle half the dressing over the kale and gently massage the kale leaves. (This helps the kale become more tender and absorbs the dressing better)
  5. Toss the warm roasted vegetables with the kale leaves and top with almonds and raisins. Drizzle a little more dressing to taste and dig in!

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.

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