Butternut Squash and Avocado Salad

This salad layers avocado, spinach and walnuts with roasted squash. Together with a savoury tamari and tahini dressing, it’s pure salad perfection.

© Recipe from Bowls of Goodness by Nina Olsson
Kyle Books, Octopus Publishing Group, Hachette

serves 4

Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Mix the dressing ingredients, adding enough water to get the consistency right, then set aside.

Half the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds and fibres, then peel or
cut off the skin. Slice each half into slices 0.5–1cm thick and cut each slice into smaller, even pieces. Spread out on the lined tray without the pieces overlapping. Sprinkle with salt and sage, drizzle over some olive oil and roast for 25–30 minutes. Keep an eye on the squash and turn the pieces over after about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven when the squash is soft and tender and let it cool for 10–15 minutes.

Put the salad ingredients and the roasted squash into a bowl. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the salad between four bowls and serve with a good drizzle of soy and tahini dressing.

Salad:
1 small butternut squash
3 tablespoons freshly choppped sage leaves
olive oil
salt
2 avocados, stoned, peeled and sliced
1 red onion, sliced into thin rounds
70g walnuts, crumbled
400g cooked puy lentils
100g baby spinach
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

tamari and tahini dressing
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons tahini paste
4 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely chopped to a paste
1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
juice of 1⁄2 lemon

Vegan and gluten-free notes

VE ✓ 
GF ✓