Recipe: Red Cabbage Salad With Broiled Butternut Squash & Pear

Think the start of fall means salad season is over? Think again! Fall is a great time to rethink salads. Instead of tomatoes and cucumbers, instead, think beets, cabbage, and squash. Add apples or pears, and some toasted nuts, and you have a hearty, gorgeous, healthy fall salad like this one!

Red Cabbage Salad Tossed With Broiled Butternut Squash & Pear

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound)
2 firm ripe pears, washed
1 Tbsp butter, melted
3 cups finely chopped red cabbage
1 small Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup raspberry or regular vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

• Get out broiler pan and spray with cooking oil.
• Peel the squash, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and discard.  Cut squash into 1/2 inch slices, crosswise.
• Cut pears in half lengthwise, then into 8 wedges, then cut out core and seeds from wedges.
• Brush squash and pears with melted butter.
• Preheat broiler. 
• Place squash on broiler pan; place pan on rack about 3 inches from heat and broil for 3 minutes, remove from oven and turn each piece over.
• Now add the pears to the broiler pan; put on rack and broil 3 more minutes or until squash is tender and pears are hot.
• Place chopped red cabbage on a large platter or salad bowl.
• Top with hot squash and pears.
• Add chopped apple and walnuts, then drizzle vinaigrette dressing evenly over entire salad.
• Toss and serve immediately.

Recipe: Purple Cabbage Avocado And Apple Salad

This makes a perfect healthy winter salad, with fresh, crunchy cabbage and apples, and creamy, healthy avocado accented with lemon juice and mustard for a tangy kick. To vary the color and flavor, try green cabbage instead of red, or mix the two for a lovely multi-colored dish.

Be sure to read the ingredients on the mustard you choose.  There are many variations so you need to check that the one you use fits your diet - avoid those with added sugar if possible. This is a very diet-friendly recipe for most diets.  However, if you are not eating fruit right now, you can eliminate the apple. If you do, try to substitute something else for crunch.  Nuts may be a good choice, again, depending on your diet.

Purple Cabbage Avocado And Apple Salad

Ingredients:

Purple cabbage. (Photo credit: Jamie Anderson)

8 cups very finely shredded purple cabbage
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin wedges
1 Granny Smith apple (or other tart green apple)
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp coarse ground mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Put cabbage, avocado, and apple in large bowl and drizzle with the juice from one lemon.
• In a separate small bowl, put the remaining ingredients and whisk together briskly until frothy.
• Spoon salad onto cold salad plates and drizzle mustard dressing over as desired.
• Serve immediately.  (The lemon juice will help keep the avocados and apples from browning.)