Last night for dinner, we had a deliciously healthy salad. It was a mixture of organic baby greens and roasted butternut squash that was dressed with a spicy mustard and chili vinaigrette. The salad had sweetness from dried cranberries and crunchiness from toasty pumpkin seeds. What made this so simple was I brought organic squash that was already peeled and cubed. My recipe was adapted from Health magazine, November 2015. This salad was a colorful and wonderful light meal for fall!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds organic butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon + pinch of chili powder
• ⅛ teaspoon + pinch of sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon + pinch of cayenne
• ⅓ cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 4 cups (5 ounces) organic baby mixed greens
• 2 tablespoons organic dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil and spread over pan in a single layer. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes.
2. While squash is roasting, whisk together in a small bowl the syrup, vinegar, mustard, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, cumin and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne. Add 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil in a slow steady stream while whisking.
3. After squash has been in the oven for 30 minutes, stir and brush with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Place back into oven and roast until golden brown for about 15 minutes.
4. In a medium skillet over medium heat, stir the pumpkin seeds with 1 teaspoon oil. Add a pinch of salt, chili powder and cayenne. Stir well. Toast for about 8 minutes.
5. Toss greens with vinaigrette. Serve greens on 4 individual plates. Sprinkle with cranberries and pumpkins seeds. Finally, add butternut squash. 4 servings.