 Vegan Apple Walnut Squash Salad
Welcome back beautiful! It’s a wonderful fall day here, and what screams fall more than a vegan salad with apples, walnuts and squash?
You can try to tell me in the comments, because I have no idea! This vegan salad is an amazing dish for when it’s cold, because the baked squash makes it warm and creamy.
And don’t worry if you want to try it and don’t have all the ingredients, this salad is quite versatile, you can replace the apples with whatever sweet fruit you have, and the walnuts with any crunchy nut. Same goes for the cranberries.
Have fun with it!
What I love about this amazing plant-based recipe is that all the main ingredients are seasonal, which means more taste and more saving the planet. Did you know that buying seasonal ingredients is better for the environment?
I usually meal prep the dressing and store it in a glass container in the fridge, but if I didn’t have time to meal prep, I like to quickly whip it up and massage the kale while the squash is baking.
How easy is this healthy vegan recipe? All you need to do is:
Chop – Bake – Toss – Serve!
What you will need to make this Delicious Vegan Apple Walnut Squash Salad:
Kale
Squash
Apples
Walnuts
Cranberries
Tahini
Spices
Check out these other amazing fall inspired recipes!
Rainbow Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Benefits of…
Kale
- Kale is among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. It’s loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin K. It’ helps reduce cholesterol and it’s really versatile, you can even make chips with it!
Squash
- This vegetable is high in vitamins A, B6, and C, folate, magnesium, fiber, riboflavin, phosphorus, and potassium. That’s a serious nutritional power-packed veggie. All these vitamins help boost the immune system and make your skin glow!
Beet
- Beets are a tasty veggie that has few calories and can help with fight inflammation, to improve your digestive system’s health and even help with weight loss.
Vegan Apple Walnut Squash Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups finely chopped kale
- 4 cups diced roasted squash
- 1 medium apple cored and diced
- 4 small beets diced
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Dressing
- 5 tbsp tahini
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 5-6 tbsp water
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F or 200C and line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Add sweet potatoes or squash (diced) and beets (diced). Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25 minutes until soft.
- Add dressing ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust.
- In a large bowl, add kale and dressing. Begin to massage with your hands and massage for about 3-5 minutes. This makes the kale soft. Toss in apples, walnuts, cranberries and mix until coated.
- Place salad into individual bowls. Once baking is complete, add 1 large scoop of the mix into salad bowls. Yummy!!
Nutrition
In search of a High Speed Blender to make all your dressing dreams come true? Here are our top 3 picks:
Our Current Blender: The Vitamix Explorian Blender
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- It took me 3 years to choose this blender haha. I’m not even joking. I was so afraid of the price. So, instead, I purchased two other blenders in those 3 years that, low and behold, BROKE. The plant based lifestyle will wreak havoc on most blenders so you must choose a high quality one with a WARRANTY. The Explorian is one of the most inexpensive vitamix options but it still works great. I use it multiple times a day, every single day, and all of the recipes are from this beauty! Check out deals around Black Friday – you can usually snag one of these for under 200USD. For my European followers: Get ready to pay MORE than North America. I’m not sure why, but vitamix in Europe is double the price (which is actually more than double because we pay in euros/pounds/etc).
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Blendtec Classic Fit Blender
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- I have never owned a Blendtec, but I did live with someone who had one and it was pretty amazing. Never understood why it didn’t come with a tamper (?) but it does work beautifully. I am pretty biased with my years of experience with the vitamix over the Blendtec, but the price point is fantastic and there are TONS of videos out there comparing the two.
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Nutri Ninja
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- I had a Ninja blender for years and years before I found the plant based lifestyle (or it found me). Prior to going plant based, I loved to make smoothies on a daily basis (still do today!). However, my smoothies were much *kinder* to the blender than today. While having owned both, I could just (and never would) compare a Ninja to a Vitamix – the difference is staggering. However, if you are just looking to blend up some oats, make light smoothies, or create epic dressings? Then go ahead and choose this one!
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Find more healthy vegan recipes like this Vegan Apple Walnut Squash Salad when you join The WonderMamas Meal Plan Membership!
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