This post has been sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada and we have been monetarily compensated by them. As always, all opinions are our own.
Come holiday season, most people look forward to the holiday parties, ringing in the New Year, and taking some well deserved vacation.
Me? I look forward to opening up a new calendar.
In our digital world, most people rely on their smartphones and tablets to keep track of their day-to-day activities. But come the end of the year, I anxiously await the yearly calendar arrival in my mailbox. There is just something about that new calendar smell, it gets me every time. And when I get to opening up a fresh and blank calendar page and begin filling in all my appointments, birthdays, and work commitments, my heart skips a beat.
The 2018 Milk Calendar by Dairy Farmers of Canada is back and is not only the perfect vehicle for my type A-need-to-schedule personality, but also features 19 new healthful, delicious, and easy-to- make recipes, insightful cooking tips and share-worthy recipe variations, all developed by accomplished food writer and recipe developer Heather Trim. This calendar is a time-honoured Canadian tradition and was recently distributed to over 2 million Canadian households in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
Y’all know we love our cheese on How To Eat, and this year’s Milk Calendar celebrates local, sustainable, and handcrafted food. It’s also full of delicious recipes featuring the goodness of 100% Canadian milk, along with food pairings and entertaining tips and tricks. So when we had the opportunity to partner with Dairy Farmers of Canada and share one of these recipes, we were more than happy to oblige.
This Roasted Winter Squash, Lentil and Greens Salad is not only beautiful, but so darn tasty it was hard not to eat the whole batch in one sitting! Between the butter roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, toasted hazelnuts, and pumpkin seeds, it’s basically a party in your mouth!
We are no strangers to tahini dressing over here, and we will definitely be making this one again. The yogurt and tahini combine to make a super creamy and super tasty dressing that when thinned with a little milk, is the perfect consistency for drizzling to your heart’s content. It pairs so beautifully with the roasted squash and would work just as well on any ‘ol green salad or roasted veg.
To find out how you can get your very own copy of the Milk Calendar, visit www.milkcalendar.ca, where you will also discover more recipes, along with videos and additional cooking tips and tricks.
Forget the New Year’s champagne, cookie exchanges, and vacation days, I can’t wait to bust open my brand spanking new calendar!
Dara
Roasted Winter Squash, Lentil and Greens Salad
Serves | 4 |
Prep time | 15 minutes |
Cook time | 15 minutes |
Total time | 30 minutes |
Dietary | Vegetarian |
Meal type | Salad |
Website | The 2018 Milk Calendar by Dairy Farmers of Canada |
Ingredients
- 3 Cups 1/2-inch pieces of butternut squash (about 1/2 a squash)
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp butter (melted)
- 1 cup canned lentils (rinsed and well drained)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans (toasted and coarsely chopped)
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds (preferably salted)
- 4 Cups your favourite baby greens
Dressing
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1/4 Tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1-3 Tbsp milk (optional)
Note
Try using your favourite baby greens in the recipe - spinach, arugula, or mixed greens would all work great! If you don't like goat cheese, feta would make a great substitute. Feel free to sub the pomegranates for dried cranberries too. But whatever you do, don't skimp on the dressing!
Directions
1. | Preheat oven to 425 and place squash on a large baking sheet.Stir salt and cayenne into melted butter. Drizzle over squash. Stir until squash is coated. Roast for 15 min or until tender, stirring halfway through. |
2. | Place warm squash in a large bowl. Toss with lentils, pomegranate seeds, nuts, pumpkin seeds and then greens |
3. | Transfer half the salad to a medium-size platter. Drizzle with half the dressing. Top with remaining salad; drizzle with remaining dressing. |
Dressing | |
4. | Stir yogurt with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt. Thin with milk if needed, for a drizzling consistency |
Ahaan says
The food look very healthy and it seems to be good combination of Lentil, Green Salad, roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, toasted hazelnuts, and pumpkin seeds. So I would really like to try this recipe and enjoy this salad.
Joan says
What does it mean “if you don’t like goat cheese”? I don’t see goat cheese in the ingredients.
I like goat cheese, but is it a garnish?
Erin & Dara says
Sorry about that. That is our mistake. You are correct, there is no goat cheese. But it would be delicious on this salad so definitely garnish with it if you would like! We will fix that now!