A quick and easy, healthy kabocha squash recipe that combines sweet honey with ginger, almonds, and feta cheese! Perfect for a weeknight side dish.
I have a hard time calling things without lettuce “salad.”
But, really, the only other thing I could call this kabocha squash recipe is “a bunch of stuff mixed together in a bowl with dressing.”
That would be a really long title, and a lot to read. Your brain would be too tired before you even got to the recipe.
So, I am totally looking out for your brain cells, and calling this thang a salad. We cool?
Good.
It starts like all good stories start, with honey and ginger and squash and a pan that you put it all in and make it all caramelized and good and yum. If you aren’t feeling in a “squash” mood, (who are you and why are you here? Just kidding. Please stay. Please.) you could be a little ca-ray-zay and sub it out for pumpkin or sweet potatoes. You could even use a different kind of squash. Except then you lied about not being in a squash mood. I’ll forgive you.
Really, I could just end it all with this squash. And, I’ll let you in on a secret, I almost did. I tried a piece and then had to pick up pieces of my mouth from the floor. Dang, that was some good squash. But, I pushed on because that’s what the voices inside told me to do and I like to listen to them usually. Sometimes. Not always. But, today, I did.
So anyway. Do that caramelization dance, whatever that means, and then get on with the rest of this faux salad. And by that I mean, toast some almonds, throw in a little feta and add in some chopped basil. Toss that baby together with some orange juice (Florida represent!) olive oil, some more honey and jump on that train.
Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with this post. Except that there are many , many run on sentences. Thanks spell check. Whatever. Run-ons are fun.
I’ll warn you just a little bit; this “salad” is pretty sweet. I don’t mean like “super cool” kind of sweet (although it is that) but like I-could-eat-this-for-dessert-maybe-sometimes-everyday-but-I’m-weird-like-that kinda sweet.
But, you know what they say, eat dessert first just in case you get run over by an elephant before you get the chance to make it to the end of the meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Large Kabocha squash peeled and cut into 1 cubes (about 5 cups.)
- 2 Tbsps Honey
- 1 tsp Fresh ginger diced
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- Squeeze of fresh orange juice
- Salt
- 2 Tbsps Red onion diced
- 1/4 Cup Low fat or fat free feta cheese
- 1/4 Slivered almonds toasted
- 1 Tbsp Fresh basil diced
- For the vinaigrette:
- 2 Tbsps Fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 2 tsps Apple Cider Vinegar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- While you wait for the water to boil, peel and chop up the squash.
- Add the squash to the boiling water, and boil until the squash is tender but still a little firm (5 minutes or so.)
- Lay the almonds flat on a baking sheet and place in the oven, until they are lightly toasted (2-3 minutes.) Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat, and stir in the honey, diced ginger and a squeeze of fresh orange juice.
- Add the squash into the butter mixture and stir until it is evenly coated in the glaze.
- Continue cooking the squash until it is fork tender and the outside is caramelized and golden (about 5 minutes.)
- While the squash cooks away, mix 2 Tbsps fresh orange juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp honey, 2 tsps apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once the squash is finished, transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the diced red onion, toasted almonds, feta cheese and diced basil.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the squash and gently toss.
- Devour immediately!
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ON INSTRAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS! 🙂
Want more kabocha squash?
Roasted Kabocha with Apple Cider Glaze
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