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It's about this time of year that I have a couple of squash left in storage. I find it less appealing to eat more squash when I start to see asparagus as the market, but this butternut squash salad is a good mix of winter and spring. I love fresh greens that are perfect from the cool weather and very herb-forward flavors like this hemp dressing. More and more I'm enjoying the idea of making a meal vegan, then adding non-vegan items as I like. This dressing is creamy thanks to the hemp seeds and is a lovely pair for the spice from the chipotle roasted butternut squash. The dressing makes more than needed but you can use it throughout the week on side salads or grain bowls.
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+ This dressing works best using a high-powered blender but can be done in a regular blender- the seeds will just stay slightly larger chunks!
+ Dressing adapted from Oh She Glows.
If you're looking for a solid, creamy vegan dressing, this hemp dressing is the one for you. It's base flavors are that of my favorite homemade (non-vegan) ranch, and I've found myself using this dressing as a stand-in dipping sauce and grain bowl dressing.
Spice: Depending on the chipotle powder you use, the squash could be a bit spicy. If you're looking for an alternative, try smoked paprika. Or, if you have any chipotle in adobo sauce hanging around, use a partial pepper and some sauce in place of the powder.
Squash: Besides butternut squash, I nearly always have a couple extra delicata squash or sweet potato in my winter produce drawer. Either would work with the flavors of this salad (and a delicate squash you would have to peel!)
Herbs: The base for the herbed hemp dressing is also great using basil or cilantro (depending on the type of flavor profile you are looking to have!)
I've been using hemp seeds for years in my kitchen, primarily as a topping for waffles, pancakes, oats, and granola. While they have a nice warm, slightly nutty flavor, hemp seeds carry a nice nutritional punch (plus a little goes a long way!)
Add to granola (like this 5-ingredient maple granola)
Pumpkin Hemp Cookies
Hemp Protein Bars
I like your blog. You are so details in preparing the recipe. I cant wait to make this salad for my dinner tonight！ Thanks for sharing
This looks delicious. I love anything with squash. I will be making this on the weekend. Thanks, Erin. Keep the recipes coming.
So excited about your idea for making your recipes with a vegan base, Erin! Can't wait to try this one!
I could eat squash all year long - even mixed with asparagus. So I find this salad quite interesting and most certainly delicious for sure.
Kiss
That looks like such a yummy combination!
This is a good mix of winter and spring! I feel like this time of year I'm always holding back at embracing spring until it actually starts but I like how this is sort of a seasonal "transitional" dish!
I have made this several times since it was posted a few weeks ago. I also had it warmed up for lunched and oohed and ahhed through the entire meal. Fast and yummy.
★★★★★
I made this for dinner this evening ...delicious!!! I replaced 1T water with 1T fig balsamic vinegar & also added some broccoli slaw & cucumber to the mix. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.