Fall Harvest Salad

About this Salad

If you’re looking for a special salad that’s easy enough for everyday but also a beautiful addition to holiday meals, this is it!

This salad features kale, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, butternut squash, beet and apple, all the best Fall and Winter ingredients. This delicious combination is even better drizzled with the sweet and tangy maple tahini dressing.

Whether you make this for a healthy meal prep or bring it along to a holiday gathering, it’s a standout salad that’s always a hit!

Ingredient Notes

Please note the full ingredient list with amounts is located in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Salad Ingredients

• Brussels Sprouts: Use fresh Brussels sprouts.
• Squash: Use any variety of squash. You can use frozen butternut squash as well.
• Beets: Use fresh beet.
• Oil: You’ll need just a little oil of choice to roast the veggies.
• Kale: Any variety of kale works. Lacinato, or Tuscan kale is my preference for salads but any kind works!
• Apple: Something crunchy like Fuji, Granny Smith or Honey Crisp works well but you can use any apple. You may want to leave this off until serving if you’re making the salad in advance.
• Walnuts: Use plain raw walnuts with no added oil or salt. You can substitute other nuts, or pumpkin or sunflower seeds for nut-free.
• Cranberries: Use fruit-juice sweetened if you can, otherwise any dried cranberries work. Substitute raisins, dried cherries or chopped dates.
• Pomegranate: If you’re missing this ingredient, don’t worry too much. They are delicious and add yummy flavour and texture but not absolutely necessary!

Dressing Ingredients

• Tahini: Good tahini (sesame seed paste) is smooth, pale in colour, not overly bitter and have a nearly runny consistency. I like Soom or Arz Fine Foods.
• Maple Syrup: You can substitute honey or agave syrup.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: White wine vinegar would be a suitable substitute.
• Lemon Juice: You’ll need a fresh lemon for some lemon juice.
• Garlic: Use raw garlic or substitute 1 tsp garlic powder.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Roast the Brussels sprouts, squash and beets.

• Preheat the oven to 425 F.
• Cut the ends off the Brussels sprouts and cut into halves (if very large, cut into quarters).
• Peel and dice the squash.
• Peel and dice the beet.
• Add 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix it all up.

Roast the veggies for 30-45 minutes until they’re all fork tender.

Quick Tip: For oil-free roasted vegetables, omit the olive oil and toss on the pan 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth instead!

Step 2. Make the dressing by blending the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

No blender? Grate the garlic so it’s smoother or substitute 1 tsp garlic powder and whisk everything together in a bowl until smooth.

Step 4. Prepare the kale by washing it well then removing the leaves from the thick stems and finely chopping.

You’ll also need to:

• dice the apple
• get the walnuts and cranberries ready
• prepare the pomegranate arils

Assemble the salad starting with a bed of kale then adding the rest of the ingredients and topping with the dressing. You can also just mix everything up in a large mixing bowl.

Notes & Tips

1. Oil-Free Option: Toss vegetables with 2-3 tbsp vegetable broth and a pinch of salt and pepper before roasting. A dash of balsamic vinegar and/or maple syrup is yummy too!
2. Nut-Free Option: Replace walnut with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
3. Squash: To make things easier, you can roast the squash in large wedges instead of peeling and dicing first. After it’s cooled a bit, the skin is super easy to peel off, then you can dice and add to the salad. See this post for tips on peeling and dicing before roasting.

Variations & Additions

• Sweet & Tart: Cranberry, apple and pomegranate all provide the same sweet, tart flavour to the salad so don’t worry if you’re missing one. Substitutions that work for these ingredients are mandarine segments, raisins or dried cherries.
• Nuts & Seeds: Instead of walnuts try almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
• Add 1-2 cups cooked wild rice or quinoa for a heartier salad.
• Use any variety of squash or substitute roasted sweet potato for the squash.
• If you’re missing squash, beet or Brussels sprouts, simply add a bit more of the others to make up the difference. The amounts don’t have to be exact!

Storing & Prep

• The tahini dressing can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. If it’s too thick after storing, stir in a little water.
• The vegetables can be roasted in advance. Let them cool then store in a sealed container in the fridge until you’re ready to prepare the salad.
• The assembled salad will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days though I’d recommend leaving the dressing off until just before serving.
• This recipe is not suitable for freezing.