Butternut Squash Spinach Salad

How many of you are obsessed with the grill station at Whole Foods? One of my all time favourite go-to meals is their prepared salmon, sweet potato fries and broccoli. It’s so fresh and delicious…but during the winter, there’s a new side in town that knocks all the other ones OUT of the water. Have you ever had their butternut squash salad with spinach and craisins? I don’t know if it’s just me but I literally crave this combination now that I’ve had it a few times. I finally decided to make it myself before the winter squashes are totally “last season.” It was surprisingly easy once I learned the proper way to slice and dice those blasted butternut squashes.

Peel first, next cut, then scoop out the seeds. I saved half of it for a future “butternut porridge” I want to create but the rest of it I cubed up.

Drizzle them up with a little olive oil and maple syrup. You can also add some spices but I just couldn’t think of what to use for this already-so-flavorful dish!
Craisins. The ever popular cranberry raisin. Good for you? Heck I don’t know. But I do know I love them. And that’s what matters here- right?

Anyways, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:
1//2 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 cup craisins
2 cups spinach
2 T olive oil
1 T pure maple syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once you’ve peeled, de-seeded and diced your butternut squash, disperse them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and maple syrup on top of the butternut squash cubes and place the dish inside of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until soft. Add the craisins in the dish and stick it back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Saute the spinach in a skillet (or heat it in the microwave if you so desire) and mix it into the butternut squash once it’s done. Serve hot with dinner or enjoy it after it’s been chilled in the fridge for a few hours! Either way I guarantee it’s going to please your pallet! 🙂

MMMMMMM. So easy but so delicious.

And yes, I almost created my Whole Foods go-to meal. Everything but the broccoli…which is fine by me. It was only 3:30…too early for broccoli, duh. Rosemary salmon and butternut squash hits the spot, every time.