#USAPears #Cookingwithpears #RecipeBloggersChallenge #Recipecontest
I love a great fun salad, especially if the salad includes fruit. Some of my favorites include strawberries with a poppyseed dressing, crispy apples and grapes in a waldorf and now roasted pears with a spicy honey vinegar drizzle. So when I entered the USA Pear Bloggers Challenge I knew I wanted to make a tasty pear salad that was different but still pleasing as a side dish for the whole family.
I have been a fan of kale for many years. I have grown it and baked it often to make kale chips. In this recipe I baked the purple kale separately then layered it on a long board before adding the hot roasted squash, pears and onion.
After washing the purple kale it’s cleaned of all thick stems, torn into large pieces then tossed with avocado oil, salt and pepper before going in the oven at 425 °.
The purple kale can be baked ahead of time and set aside while you roast the remaining ingredients.
I decided to use red anjou pears for this recipe. I love how well they hold up to roasting. I used them in my other recipe, Pickled Anise Pear and Honey Ricotta with Ginger Pistachio Granola dessert entry for this contest.
Salt and pepper on fruit is always so amazing to me, it brings out so much flavor. My husband loves to salt his apple and watermelon slices.
If you don’t have a long food grade serving board to spread out the salad on, you can use a large cutting board as well. A large serving platter would be nice too.
FYI, if you have never eaten the skin of a roasted acorn squash, you need to try it. Just wash your acorn squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut each half into 4 to 6 slices depending upon the size of the squash. Toss with oil, salt and pepper then roast at 425 °. See the instructions below.
You can follow USA Pears on social media and find more inspiration @USAPears. They are also on the web for more recipes and fun at USA Pears.
Are you ready for the recipe?
Roasted Pear & Squash with Kale and Honey Vinegar Drizzle
Serves 6-8
3 red Anjou USA Pears, cored and cut into large pieces
1 large bunch of purple kale, washed, removed from stems, torn into pieces
2 small acorn squash, washed, cored and cut into small wedges.
1 small onion, sliced into small pieces
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1/3 cup honey
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbs avocado oil, divided (other oil can be used)
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 plus (2) 1/8 tsp black pepper, divided
Preheat oven to 425 °
In a small bowl, mix together the honey, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper and set aside later for the drizzle.
In a large bowl, toss the cleaned kale with 1 tbs of avocado oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper for easy clean up. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the kale leaves are crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Toss the cut acorn with 1 tbs avocado oil, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then cut and toss the red Anjou pear and onion with 1 tbs avocado oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper and spread on a second baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place both baking sheets of acorn squash and the pear/onion mixture into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the squash and pear/ onion mixture and roast for an additional 10 minutes or until the ingredients are golden and tender. The pear/onion mixture may be done before the squash.
Assemble the salad by arranging the crispy kale on a long board or platter. Top with the warm roasted squash and pear/onion mixture. Garnish with the toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Top with the Honey Vinegar drizzle as you serve the salad.
