Lemon Cashew Ceasar Salad with Roasted Squash (and a Sponsored Giveaway)

Disclosure: The giveaway below is sponsored by World Vision, a Christian charity. World Vision provided me with a set of spoons to photograph and keep and is supplying the second set to be given away.

I’m on a diet right now – a strict diet, and I have a lot of feelings about that. Rather than prattle on and on, I’ll sum it all up via haiku.

Nutrient dense food
A bottomless appetite
I would kill for pie

Are you feeling me? I know you get it. I’m dreaming of pizza, but instead I’m eating this kale salad here. Yeah I know, another kale salad. I promise to branch out to other greens as soon as this baby stops sleeping on my chest six hours a day. Until then, kale.

Lemon Cashew Ceasar Salad with Roasted Squash
Makes about four servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of organic kale (because I think organic kale tastes better)
• 1 acorn squash, sliced and seeded
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil/fat (I used bacon fat because paleo – but any fat or oil will do)
• 1/2 cup cashews (either raw or roasted will do fine)
• 1/4 cup almond oil (or another healthy fat – virgin olive would be nice)
• 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce, or the paleo-friendly sub of your choice)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the sliced squash onto a baking sheet, brush with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes, or until fork tender.
2. Combine the cashews, almond oil, tamari, fish sauce, and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until smooth. If there are still some cashew chunks in it, that’s OK. You just want to make sure and get a good portion of it blended into the dressing.
3. Add salt and pepper to the dressing to taste, adding less salt (or maybe even none at all) if the nuts you are using were already salted.
4. Rinse the kale, then tear the leaves from the hard spines. Discard the spines (or feed them to your dog if they are veggie-inclined. Or save them for juicing. Or use them as alternative drum sticks. It’s your life, baby.)
5. Smash the kale leaves in your hands until they soften up. Tear them into bite-sized pieces, then toss them with the blended dressing. You don’t have to use all of the dressing. Just add it to taste. The flavor is pretty strong.
6. Top the salad with the roasted squash, which you will need to gently nudge from its peel as you eat. You could try to peel the squash prior to roasting – but only if you are in the mood to drive yourself crazy. Acorn squashes are hard to peel.

Giveaway time!

Did you notice the lovely hand carved serving spoons in my salad bowl? Those were gifted to me by World Vision Gifts, a Christian charity shopping site that helps provide food and emergency assistance to people in need.

You can buy small gifts, like these wooden spoons or other home goods and accessories or you can make direct donations to fund the purchase of livestock or the digging of a well in places where help is needed most. You can even donate to feed hungry kids here in the United States.

So, instead of stuffing your husband’s stocking with bacon-shaped band-aids or provacatively shaped beer cozies you can make a donation on his behalf that will give another human being something they actually need.

Win these spoons!
To help spread the word about World Vision, I have another set of these lovely hand carved wooden serving spoons to give away. Just leave a comment telling me about the silliest gift you ever gave or received. I’ll pick a winner in two weeks, on Wednesday, 10/29.