Last month, when Anne and I were brainstorming the baby shower menu for our friend Sarah (aka the most gorgeous preggers lady ever. Proof, here.), we wanted the menu to be really fresh and seasonal–very “ladies who lunch”/Ottolenghi-ish/Gjelina-esque, if that makes sense. Of the 19 girls, a few were gluten-intolerant and a few were vegetarian, so we kept it gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly with organic produce from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.
We created four dishes–one protein, one starch, and two leafy greens–that would complement each other: Here’s the menu:
-Sous vide chicken breast, fennel confit, harissa labneh
-Roasted delicata squash, Pomegranate, Mint, Feta
-Massaged kale, wild rice, kumquat, strawberry, pepitas
-Arugula, citrus, avocado, green olives
On the menu tag designed by Amanda, we actually just listed “squash” for the starchy dish since we we planned the menu a few weeks in advance and weren’t sure what we’d be able to find at the farmer’s market that weekend. For efficiency’s sake, delicata is a great choice; it requires no peeling, so you get the contrast between the soft, caramelized flesh and the bite of the tender peel. When you’re prepping 6-7 pounds of squash, considering little details like that make a big difference. Also, since this a hearty salad, you can prep the day before. Since I got recipe requests for the roasted squash salad on Instagram and at the shower, I’m sharing it here. I’ve scaled it down to serve 4-6 people. The chicken recipe is coming next.
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp tamari
1/4 cup water
2 tsp sumac
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds delicata squash (or butternut or kabocha would work too), sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp za’atar salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 carrot, sliced into paper-thin ribbons on a mandolin (or by hand if you’re a ninja like that!)
3 dried apricots, rehydrated in apple cider vinegar and coarsely chopped
3 honey dates, chopped
1/2 cup of mint leaves
1/3 cup feta, crumbled
1. Blend dressing ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash with olive oil, za’atar, salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roast about 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping once. Let cool. This step can be done the day before.
3. When ready to serve, toss together roasted squash, pomegranates, carrots, rehydrated apricots, dates, and mint with tahini dressing. Finish with crumbled feta.
serves 4-6
7 Comments
Hannah
03 Feb 2015 09:02 am
Yum, this looks delicious! As a vegetarian, I would have been very glad to be served that menu!
I’m glad I’m not the only person who uses Ottolenghi-ish as an adjective!
A Recipe: Collard Green Wraps with Brown Rice and Vegetables | Julie's Kitchen
02 Mar 2015 04:03 pm
[…] 4. Serve with tahini dressing. […]
Anna
06 Mar 2015 12:03 am
This menu looks amazing, wondering if you used a vacuum seal to cook the chicken sous vide or if there was an easier method.
julieleecooks
24 Mar 2015 10:03 pm
Thank you , Anna. I just used several quart sized Ziplocks, pushed out as mush air as I could and it worked great!
Zanna F
23 Mar 2015 02:03 am
So funny: I took a screenshot of this when you first posted it, finally made it tonight based on the ingredients you included in the caption, and just now saw this post of the full recipe. This salad was so delicious, I didn’t even bother making a dressing!
julieleecooks
24 Mar 2015 10:03 pm
Thank you, Zanna. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)
Zanna F
27 Mar 2021 04:03 pm
I need to let you know - I still make this as often as possible. So yummy! Thank you for the recipe. :-)
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