Thanksgiving Menu: Roasted Squash Salad

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I wanted to share a healthy and simple salad recipe that will compliment any menu. This salad combines lots of fabulous fall produce for a colorful and impressive starter. It features my favorite, delicata squash. This creamy, slightly sweet variety tastes fabulous roasted with some olive oil. Here, it is the centerpiece of an arugula salad topped with some fresh pomegranate seeds and walnuts. It is a colorful, flavorful and most importantly healthy way to start your holiday feast.

This recipe is featured in my new holiday cookbook, Gen Y Foodie Holidays, which is currently available on Amazon. 


You can get some more details about the book here.

Full recipe after the jump!

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Links

It's been a while since I posted some links. My apologies. Things have been so busy with the holiday cookbook, work, and getting ready for our new puppy! I will post some pics after we take him home next week.

Without further ado:

• Public Radio Kitchen featured my Brussels Sprouts Caesar Recipe - check it out! It also features some other great things to do with my favorite veggie - WBUR
• New research suggest vitamin C can help recovery from heart failure - WebMD
• Yum! Low calorie holiday cocktails - FitSugar
• Will eating kiwis lower your blood pressure? I hope so, they're delicious! - HuffPo

Beef, Barley and Root Vegetable Stew

Beef stew is the ultimate comfort food. I had never actually made it until I saw the move Julie & Julia, which inspired me to give it a try. Who knew a few years later I'd have my own food blog? The day after seeing that movie I went out and bought a dutch oven pot, unfortunately it's not Le Crueset, but it's served me pretty well. Anyway, I've been perfecting this recipe over the years, trying to find ways to maximize flavor and minimize calories, fat and sodium. This recipe takes everything that's delicious about stew and adds lots of healthy veggies and barley. The result is an immensely flavorful and filling stew that is hearty for all the right reasons. The high protein and fiber content will fill you up, while a bit of bacon, fresh herbs and red wine add a ton of flavor.

This recipe makes a LOT of stew. At least 8 servings worth. My reasoning for this is that if you're going to spend hours cooking something, you should get multiple meals out of it. Here, you can either eat this for days, or freeze it. This recipe freezes really well. Just make sure to use a glass of BPA-free plastic container and seal tightly. You can defrost and serve whenever.

I like to think this recipe captures the spirit of Julia Child's while being a healthier, modern version. Most importantly, if you have to open a bottle of wine to make this recipe, make sure to enjoy some, Julia always had "wine for the cook!" Enjoy!

Recipe and stew making tips after the jump!
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