A Grateful Meal

Vegetable

Roasted Squash Salad

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Roasted acorn squash on top of massaged kale salad with pecans, shaved Parmesan, and dried cranberries with serving utensils
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I am all about that Thanksgiving prep lately. Have you been able to tell? This autumn roasted squash salad is no different. You can make this salad ahead of time and let it hang out in the fridge until mealtime, which is perfect considering all the day of Thanksgiving cooking that often needs to happen.

I love the flavor combination of this recipe. The greens are dressed in a tart and sweet dressing topped with dried cranberries, toasty nuts, and salty, shaved parmesan cheese. It’s all rounded out with the caramelized and buttery quality of the roasted acorn squash. It’s so good that my husband requested that I make it for his company Thanksgiving potluck. This is perfect because it helps offer a different vegetable option for the party, and keeps well when made in advance. 

Close up of roasted acorn squash on top of massaged kale salad with pecans, shaved Parmesan, and dried cranberries in a bowl
Overview of roasted acorn squash on top of massaged kale salad with pecans, shaved Parmesan, and dried cranberries in a bowl
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Honestly, this roasted squash salad is perfect for everyday meal prep too. I love making hardy green salads in the winter. My favorite go-to green for fall/winter salad-making is kale. I hear a lot of people don’t like kale in salads because it’s so tough and fibrous. Well, sorry to break this to you, but you’re probably doing it wrong. The best kale salads are allowed to marinate in an acidic dressing or vinegar for long periods, or you can speed the process up by massaging the dressing or vinegar into the greens. The acid works the way that heat does in cooking greens; it allows for the fibers to break down, making the greens soft and tender. Even if you massage the greens, you can still make the salad ahead of time without it being too wilted. 

I’ll be making this salad for months to come for sure, and once you try it, I’m sure you will too. 

P.S. If you’re all about that Thanksgiving prep, too, make sure that you join my email list. I’ll be sharing all things holiday food and lifestyle from now until New Year’s. 

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Roasted Squash Salad

Overview of roasted acorn squash on top of massaged kale salad with pecans, shaved Parmesan, and dried cranberries in a bowl
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  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 0 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium acorn squash, seeded, sliced (skin is edible!)
  • 1 tbsp. fresh sage, minced
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tbsp. dark fruit jam (like cherry or blackberry)
  • 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 6–8 cups kale, chopped
  • 2–3 oz. (or more to taste) parmesan cheese, shaved
  • 1/4 cup pecans, toasted
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Toss sliced acorn squash, sage, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and salt and pepper on a sheet pan. Roast squash for 20 minutes. Flip squash, rotate the pan for even cooking, then roast for another 10 min.
  2. Meanwhile, make dressing by whisking together jam, vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt/pepper to taste. (Or put dressing ingredients in a mason jar, seal, and shake until incorporated.)
  3. Massage kale with dressing until slightly wilted about 2-3 min. Once squash is done roasting, top kale with squash, cheese, pecans, and dried cranberries.

Loaded Sweet Potato Greek Fries

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close-up of loaded Greek fries with feta, basil, and balsamic glaze
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These Loaded Sweet Potato Greek Fries are sent straight from the heavens. I promise, I’m not exaggerating – they are that good. Made in my brand, spanking new air fryer, they are super easy to make as well! But, let’s back up a minute and talk about this air fryer. Amazon Prime day got me this year. Amazon and their low priced air fryers hooked me, and I totally caved to the purchase of said air fryer. But honestly? I’m not sorry about it one bit. These Loaded Sweet Potato Greek Fries are one of the first dishes to christen my new kitchen toy. They also proved that the air fryer was a sound purchase. I can’t wait to try out a few of my other recipes in the air fryer. Recipes like my Margarita Wings, Nashville-Style Hot Chicken Sandwiches, or my Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos could be adapted for the air fryer. There are just so many possibilities, and I’m super excited to create some new recipes. I’m might be late to the air fryer party, but I’m sold and happy be here. Better late than never, am I right?

overhead view of loaded Greek fries with feta, basil, and balsamic glaze

Now back to these fries! Seasoned with Greek seasoning, topped with feta cheese and chopped basil, and drizzled with sweet balsamic glaze, these fries are bound to be inhaled once they’re ready. They’re sweet with just the right balance of salt from the seasoning and cheese. The basil adds the perfect level of freshness. They would be fantastic as an appetizer, side, or dish for tailgating or football parties. Go see for yourself, and make these right now! Air fryer or not, this flavor composition is on point and won’t disappoint. I love a good rhyme. 🙂

loaded Greek fries with feta, basil, and balsamic glaze
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Loaded Sweet Potato Greek Fries

close-up of loaded Greek fries with feta, basil, and balsamic glaze
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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Greek seasoning blend
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tsp. balsamic glaze
  • 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Peel and slice potato into 1/4 inch wedges or sticks. Toss potato slices in bowl with olive oil and Greek seasoning.
  2. Cook potatoes in air fryer without overcrowding (work in batches if needed) for 8 minutes, turning halfway.
  3. Once cooked, top fries with feta, glaze, and basil. Serve hot.

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Air fryer

Balsamic glaze

Greek seasoning

Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta Pesto

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Roasted tomatoes in a cast iron skillet with bruschetta on the side.
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This is such an easy tomato bruschetta recipe! Which is perfect for an easy, weeknight summer meal. I love roasting tomatoes in the oven. Rarely have I found a tomato that doesn’t taste even better roasted, even middle-of-winter grocery store tomatoes. The problem is that this summer, who wants to turn on the oven more than they have to? So with a little help from my cast iron skillet, I turned my gas grill into a tomato flavor machine.

Roasted tomatoes in a cast iron skillet

I wanted to pair the tomatoes with their natural friend, basil pesto. I wasn’t exactly feeling that just any old pesto would work here. To make the pesto feel a little extra special, I decided to marry a version of whipped feta along with the pesto. Whipped feta is one my absolute favorite small plates from Butcher and Bee in Charleston. Drizzled with honey, it’s creamy, salty, and sweet. Basically, it’s heaven on earth.

Tomato bruschetta with a bite taken

To accompany the tomato bruschetta, I threw together a quick salad and boom – the perfect summer meal. It’s basically a fancier version of pizza, but way more flavor, not to mention it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Tomato bruschetta with pesto and basil on a plate
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Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta Pesto

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  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup almonds (or pine nuts, or preferred nuts)
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 french baguette
  • additional basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill burners over medium-high heat or to at least 450 degrees. Add the tomatoes to a cast iron skillet, drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place cast iron in preheated grill. Cook tomatoes until blistered and they begin to pop, releasing their juices.
  2. Add nuts to food processor and pulse until ground. Add basil, feta, minced garlic, lemon juice (if using) to food processor, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until completely incorporated. Scrape down sides and drizzle in 1/3 cup of olive oil. Pulse until completely smooth.
  3. Slice baguette and toast in toaster or on grill. Spread whipped feta pesto on bread, top with blistered tomatoes, and garnish with extra basil if using. Serve.

Notes

Serves about 4-6 people. 

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Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

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Overhead shot of bowl of red pepper and peptita salsa with chips.

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IM(Humble)O, chips and salsa are a staple. I’m not ashamed to admit in college I would make a meal out of Chi-Chi’s salsa, chips, and sour cream. Late night studying wasn’t complete without this trifecta. My tastes have evolved some over time, but honestly presented with this concoction, I’d do it all over again. Nostalgia has a certain taste to it.

Today, I present a type of salsa (or sauce) with a bit of a twist. One of my favorite party or gathering dips (or salsa, if you will) is to make muhammara. What is muhammara? It’s a Middle Eastern red pepper and walnut spread – it’s like hummus meets salsa with Middle Eastern flavors of spice and smoke. While muhammara can hang on it’s own, I went with a Latin spin this time. And, boy did it pay off. Big time.

Tortilla chip dipped in red pepper and peptita salsa.

In this version, roasted red peppers are still front and center of this sauce or dip, but with the inclusion of peppers in adobo sauce and peptitas (essentially pumpkin seeds) instead of walnuts this spread has seen a new Latin spin. I went for the tried and true chips and salsa route, but spread on a taco or drizzled on grilled meats a la chimichurri sauce it would be perfect. The sky is the limit for how this salsa could be paired. Now go – try this out…immediately.

Bowl of red pepper and peptita salsa with chips.

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Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1 lime
  • 1 cup pepitas (aka shelled pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1–2 whole peppers in adobo (depending on desired spiciness)
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers (12 oz. jar), drained
  • 4 tbsp. olive oil
  • cilantro, chopped (optional for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Place finely minced garlic in food processor bowl with pinch of salt and juice of half of a lime. Allow garlic to sit in lime juice and salt for a few minutes to “mellow out”.
  2. Add pepitas and pulse a few times to begin grind seeds. Add in cumin, paprika, honey, and both peppers. Blend until smooth. While motor is running, drizzle in olive oil. Serve with optional garnish of additional pepitas and cilantro. 

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Food processor

Pepitas

Roasted red peppers

Sweet and Savory Vegetable Pot Pies

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Overhead view of vegetable pot pie with golden crust

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This is one of my favorite winter meals. Warm, creamy pie filling chock full of veggies topped with a buttery, crunchy crust! Yes, please, I’ll take two!

As the name implies, these have that winning combination of sweet and savory all rolled into a cute little pie. The individual 8 oz. ramekins make portioning easy. Feel free to swap out vegetables for whatever you have on hand. Leftover green beans? Throw ’em in. Sweet potatoes you forgot in the back of the pantry? Sure, go ahead. I’m hard pressed to think anyone could mess this up.

View of pot pie with spoon.

Not only are these full of vegetable-goodness, but also super easy to make. The phyllo dough is my answer to avoid spending hours making pie crust from scratch. It allows for the that buttery, crunchy crust and is WAYYYY faster! I always have phyllo dough on hand in the freezer in the winter for a quick, pull-together, pot pie.

Overhead view of pot pie with herbs scattered.
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Sweet and Savory Vegetable Pot Pies

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 8 oz button or baby portobello mushrooms, quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 2 cups butternut sqaush (or 1/2 small), peeled, cut into small pieces
  • 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped
  • 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted
  • 8 sheets phyllo dough

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  2. Heat 2 tbsp. oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add in onion, mushrooms, celery, and saute for 4-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
  3. Add in butternut squash, parsnips, and garlic to skillet. Saute additional 4-5 minutes. Season with more salt, pepper, and add in thyme and sage. 
  4. Add in 2 additional tbsp. oil to skillet. Sprinkle in flour. Saute flour coated veggies for about 2-3 minutes. 
  5. Slowly pour in broth and milk, while stirring mixture continuously. Bring sauce to a low boil then lower heat if needed. Simmer until sauce is a gravy consistency. (Tip: If sauce is too thin – dissolve 1 tbsp. cornstarch to 1 tbsp. cold broth and add it to pan. If sauce is too thick, add in broth or milk.)
  6. Lightly oil 4 ramekins (each ramekin = 8 oz.). Divide mixture evenly between all the ramekins. 
  7. Lay 2 pieces of phyllo dough flat. Brush the top sheet with melted butter and mold sheets together to fit over the mixture in the ramekin. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the phyllo dough is golden and crunchy and the filling is bubbling. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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Grilled Potato Salad Skewers with Zucchini

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Hey Friends!

Who doesn’t love a good summer makeover? I’m not talking about one of those bikini body makeovers. I’m talking about taking a sad, old (but delicious) summer dish and transforming it into something new, exciting, fresh, and healthier. Enter potato salad. Yeah, that plain looking, amorphous blob of potatoes topped with a mayo or vinegar dressing (depending on which you prefer). In my new and improved version, I combined using both a vinegar and a mayo dressing. This is sure to please just about anyone.

 

grilled potato salad with zucchini

Introducing the new and improved potato salad – ta-da!

First, let’s talk about how I made it a little healthier by making the nutritional content a little more balanced. Potatoes get a bad rap for being high in calories and carbohydrates (carbs). I love me some carbs, but moderation is certainly key. Carbs that are high in fiber like potatoes do give a nice sustained energy boost, but by balancing the potatoes with a lower carb vegetable like zucchini it allows me to decrease the amount of potatoes (and thus calories) while still adding in nutrients like vitamin C.

grilled potato salad with zucchini

Let’s get serious about the flavor.

Second, you don’t need a ton of mayo to make this dish shine. I found more flavor came from marinating the potatoes and zucchini in a mustard/vinegar mixture before grilling the vegetables on skewers. I seem to really love grilling this time of year! 🙂 After grilling, I topped the veggies with a drizzle of mayo and green onions – it was the perfect finish to seal in that potato salad flavor that everyone will love. Additionally, you can chop up some hard boiled egg to sprinkle on at the end as well. Everyone has a different way to make their potato salad, so feel free to top with your favorite potato salad mix-ins.

grilled potato salad with zucchini

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Grilled Potato Salad Skewers with Zucchini

grilled potato salad with zucchini
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  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. of Yukon gold potatoes, diced in 1 ½ inch cubes
  • ½ lb. zucchini (about 1 medium), diced in 1 ½ inch cubes
  • 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. celery salt
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1 ½ tsp. dried dill
  • 2 tsp. whole grain or Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp. milk
  • 2 stalks green onions, white and green parts, chopped
  • 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped or other mix-ins as desired (optional)

Instructions

  1. If using wooden skewers, soak skewers in water for at least 15-30 minutes.
  2. Boil potatoes in pot of water for 10-15 minutes or until they can easily be pierced by fork but not mushy. Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, celery salt, honey, dried dill, and mustard together in a bowl. While whisking, slowly add olive oil. Set aside.
  3. Place softened potatoes and raw zucchini cubes in shallow pan or large resealable bag and add vinaigrette mixture on top. Mix together and allow to marinate at least 15 minutes in refrigerator. Meanwhile, preheat grill to 350ºF or grill pan over stovetop to medium-high heat.
  4. Thread vegetables onto wooden or metal skewers, alternating between potato and zucchini slices. Grill each skewer for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until dark grill marks appear. Place on serving dish and set aside.
  5. Whisk mayonnaise and milk together. Drizzle skewers with mayonnaise sauce. Garnish with green onions and other mix-ins/toppers (if using). Serve immediately.

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