Squash salad is part of a tasty and attractive plate!
Plate-mates: grilled lamb, mashed turnips,
Waldorf salad (apple), and boiled buttered peas.
Better than potato salad, this makes an excellent weekday lunch, and is great at a picnic or potluck. Make it when fresh grapes are in season. This squash salad was a favorite at my May 19, 2015 lecture about oxalates and health. I made enough for leftovers, but there weren’t any! Several attendees requested the recipe, so here it is!
Citrus-y Spiced Squash Salad
Ingredients
one 3 – 3½ lb. winter squash seeded, peeled, and diced in ¾” – 1” chunks
1 C red seedless grapes, sliced in half, or ¼ C chopped Raisins or cranberries
½ med. Shallot, finely diced or ¼ C chopped chives or one whole scallion (opt.)
½ C chopped Cilantro
1 Scallion, green part only, chopped
1 med. organic Red Pepper, cut into short strips (¼”x1”) (optional) (or use organic roasted red pepper)Dressing:
¼ C (or more) olive oil (part may be fractionated coconut oil, if desired)
¼ C Lime Juice (6 limes)
2 T Maple Syrup or 3 T Dextrose or 1½ T organic Sugar (this is one of the rare times I use sweetener)
½ tsp. Mineral salt
¼ tsp. each: ground Coriander and Cardamom
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (for a not-spicy version, use ¼ – ½ tsp. white pepper instead)
Instructions
- You may either boil (5-7 minutes in salted water) or roast the squash. The squash should be soft but not mushy. To keep the squash cubes more intact, chill the cooked squash before adding the other ingredients. For a multi-colored look, use both acorn squash and butternut (cooked separately).
- Mix the dressing ingredients together, then add the dressing and remaining ingredients to the squash. Gently toss to coat evenly.
- Chill 1 hour. May be served chilled or at room temperature.
- Garnish with additional cilantro leaves or red pepper strips or grape halves.
Lift finished squash from boiling water with long-handled skimmer.
Final Step. Gently combine ingredients.
Hi, Can you tell me which squash you are using for this recipe? Is it a butternut, spaghetti squash or possibly a acorn squash?
Thanks for all the time and energy you have put into the subject of oxylates. The info I get from my doctors is to drink more water.
Thank you!
I think at the time I developed this recipe, I was mostly using butternut squash, which I think works best for this recipe due to color and texture. Acorn, Kabocha or another firm-fleshed squash should work fine. Combinations of squash can be interesting for “eye appeal” (mixed colors).
What is mineral salt? Isn’t all salt a mineral?
“Mineral salt” refers to mined salts coming from ancient deposits, as opposed to sea salt or commercial refined salt. Redmond’s Real Salt and Himalayan salts are examples.