A lovely little fall variety bowl full of fall produce + flavors
Good morning friends <3 happy Thursday.. aka almost the weekend!
I recently visited a cafe that had a pear Caesar salad.. I tried it, loved it, and immediately knew I was going to recreate it. Enter this new recipe: a pear salad full of radicchio, romaine, dates, nuts + seeds, Parmesan, and a vegan Caesar dressing!
To make it a heartier meal, I paired it with a protein and a complex carbohydrate: honey dijon marinaded chicken and a butternut squash quinoa with pumpkin seeds.
These flavors work so beautifully together… but this post has 3 recipes in one; feel free to make one, two, or all of them to try them together! Omit the chicken for vegetarian and add chickpeas, or omit the quinoa for a lighter lunch meal prep. Choose your own adventure!
All three of the recipes for the salad, chicken, and quinoa are below. I hope you love them! :)
Pear Caesar Salad
For the Caesar dressing:
1/4 cup tahini
Juice from ½ large lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
1 teaspoon finely diced capers
2 teaspoons caper brine
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
water to thin dressing
salt and black pepper to taste
For the salad:
1/2 cup toasted pecans, walnuts, or almonds
1/3 cup chopped Medjool dates
1 small head chopped radicchio
3-4 cups chopped romaine
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan
Combine all dressing ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Add all of your salad ingredients to a bowl, and drizzle with half of the dressing. Toss to combine, then add more dressing as needed. I like to chill the salad before serving, but this is optional!
For the butternut squash quinoa:
1 cups dry quinoa (3 cups cooked), sub Wild rice
1lb butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice of ½ large lemon (2 tbsp lemon juice)
1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
First, preheat oven to 400F. Add chopped butternut squash to a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp honey. Sprinkle the nutmeg and pinch of salt. Toss to combine, then roast for 25-35 minutes, or until the squash begins to brown and is fork tender.
Cook quinoa according to package instructions (with water or broth for extra flavor). Once cooked, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the butternut squash and fold in. You can also add some fresh chopped herbs if you’d like: parsley or mint would be great here!
Serve warm and enjoy.
Honey Dijon Chicken
For the chicken marinade:
1-1.5lbs chicken thighs (or cubed chicken breasts)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
Add all marinade ingredients to a bowl with your chicken. Marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
When time to cook, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in a drizzle of olive oil. Once pan + oil are hot, add your chicken thighs (discard excess marinade). Allow chicken to cook on one side for 4-5 minutes or until caramelized and browned. Flip and cook until chicken reaches 165F. Serve and enjoy!
I hope you love these recipes! They’re all so yummy and nourishing :) here are some other ideas of what you could pair with each one:
Pear caesar salad: add croutons or crispy chickpeas, serve as a side salad with steak, use as a slaw on a sandwich.
Honey dijon chicken: pair with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes, reduce excess marinade into a pan sauce.
Butternut squash quinoa: would pair well with my Greek bowl recipe or even some maple glazed salmon.
Stay tuned for more delicious recipes and subscribe to get all of them sent straight to your inbox!!
Have a wonderful day <3
With love,
Abigail