GF

A hearty and healthy harvest winter salad with roast butternut, sweet cinnamon spiced pecans and creamy blue cheese. This salad will elevate your winter table with the creamy maple date dressing being the real star of the show.

This salad is so so super delicious! I like to serve it at room temperature however it’s also great served with warm pumpkin on cold winter days. It’s sweet, it’s creamy, it’s hearty and has a touch of spice - everything I love about a salad. No boring salads in my house!

I like to serve this salad with roast chicken or bbq lamb rumps and crispy roast potatoes. Lightly pan-fried green beans round out a full meal if serving to guests! This salad goes with anything really. It's also great eaten by itself for a healthy winter lunch.

It’s also a great salad to prepare ahead if serving to company. I like to prep the dressing and spiced nuts a few days ahead and have all my salad ingredients cut up the day before. It makes for such easy assembly at the time and ensures everything is super fresh!

What's in this recipe?

Maple mustard dressing

Orange juice & zest
Provides acidity and delicious flavour to the dressing. Orange pairs so well with the creamy blue cheese and sweet fall flavours. Can be substituted with lemon in a pinch.
Mayonnaise
A touch of mayonnaise makes this dressing so wonderfully creamy. Can be substituted with greek yoghurt if you are wanting it super healthy however it’s such a small amount of mayo and it really makes all the creamy difference! I urge you to give it a go!
Dates
Dates are the secret ingredient to this luxe dressing. They give it such wonderful sweetness and make it taste slightly like caramel! We use a small blender to make the dates smooth and incorporated.
Maple syrup
Maple syrup boosts the sweetness in the dressing and provides wonderful flavour. Can be substituted with honey or brown sugar.
Dijon mustard
Dijon mustard balances the sweetness in the dressing and provides acidity and tartness. Can be substituted with horseradish sauce for a twist!
Garlic
Fresh garlic provides bite and umami to the dressing. Please use fresh garlic here - not the stuff in a jar, it’s sweet and sickly tasting.
Salt
To balance all the sweetness and make the flavours sing!

Maple spiced nuts

Pecans & pumpkin seeds
I love this combination of nuts and seeds. Pecans pair so well with the creamy blue cheese and sweet maple syrup. Can be substituted with walnuts or pistachios. Pumpkin seeds can be substituted with sunflower seeds or additional nuts.
Maple syrup
Provide addictive sweetness and allow the nuts to clump together when baked. These nutty clusters provide so much delicious crunch to the salad.
Cinnamon & cayenne pepper
Cinnamon gives these nuts fall Christmas vibes. I like to add a dash of cayenne to give you a little spicy kick on the back of the tongue that balance out the creaminess of the cheese so perfectly. Can be left out or reduced if sensitive to heat.
Salt
Salt balances the sweet maple syrup and makes this mixture truly divine - Don’t skip!

Salad

Butternut pumpkin
I love butternut pumpkin (or butternut squash) in this recipe as it looks so pretty and is a sweet variety of pumpkin. Can be substituted with Kent pumpkin or sweet potato chunks.
Olive oil & garlic
Olive oil is used as the fat to roast the pumpkin. Use a generous amount to make the pumpkin soft and delicious! I prefer extra virgin olive oil for its health benefits but feel free to use other neutral vegetable oils. Fresh garlic gives the pumpkin a subtle umami flavour boost and allows it to get little crispy toasted bits - delicious!
Kale
I like to use kale in this recipe as it holds the creamy dressing so well. Be sure to massage the kale well to remove any bitterness from the leaves and make it more pliable and easier to eat. Can be substituted with spinach or rocket (arugula).
Pear & dates
Fresh julienned pear provides wonderful freshness and crunch to the salad. Can be substituted with apple. Fresh Medjool dates boost the sweetness in the salad and provide another chewy texture - we are all about salads with texture!
Red onion
I love fresh red onion in this salad as it really provides freshness and contrast to the sweet and heavy flavours. Can be diced if you prefer smaller pieces in your salads however, I prefer the texture. Can be substituted with shallots.
Blue cheese
The creamy star of the show! Blue cheese is so delicious with all the sweet fall flavours in this salad. Can be substituted with goats cheese or feta.

Step-by-step photos

Mixing dressing

Mixing nuts with spices

Toasting nuts & seeds

Massaging dressing into kale

Mixing salad

Roasted pumpkin