Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad

So last night I made some amazing food. Yep, it was delicious. And healthy. And delicious. My sweet friend, Rachel, came over for dinner, and she was willing to be a genia pig for my kitchen experiments. I based this off of a salad that I had while on vacation in Florida. The beverage that is in the pitcher was also a new recipe I tried, and it was super delicious, but I want to mess with it a little more before I post a recipe for it.

Chickpea and Butternut Squash Salad

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 can chickpeas, drained

red onion, to taste, thinly sliced

6-8 grape tomatoes

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Mixed Greens

Toss the butternut squash and the chickpeas with some olive oil and sea salt. Place on a foil covered baking sheet and bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until butternut squash is tender. While that is baking, heat some coconut oil in a small fry pan with a touch of honey and saute until onion is soft. If you prefer the stronger onion taste, you can forgo the sauteing and just put raw onion in. 

When the squash mixture is done, place the tomatoes in the oven while you prepare the salad. Toss the squash mixture with the onion and a little sea salt and cayenne pepper. On the plate put a bed of mixed greens and top with a generous amount of squash mixture. Top with warm tomatoes and drizzle with basil-cilantro dressing.

Basil-Cilantro Dressing

Olive Oil

1 lemon, juiced

1 bunch cilantro

1 handful fresh basil

Fill container about halfway with olive oil. Finely chop basil and add to olive oil. Cut off the top portion of the cilantro bunch and finely chop. Add to the olive oil. Add juice of 1 lemon. Shake and add more lemon juice to taste. Let this sit for at least 6 hours before you use it to let the flavors combine. Shake well before use.

Eating Healthy

I love eating squash. It's soooo good and such a fun Fall/Winter food, and it's really good for you too! You can do so many different things with squash, but this is how I have been enjoying it lately.


I used one medium sized sweet potato and one medium sized butternut squash for this. I cut the ends off the butternut squash and then peel it with a potato peeler and then cut it in half and dig the seeds out. I believe that you can roast the seeds just like you can with a pumpkin, but I have not done that myself. I then just cut it up into nice sized chunks. I washed the sweet potato and then cut off the ends and cut it into chunks. I threw these into an oven-safe dish.


Then I topped it with spoonfuls of coconut oil, which I happen to be obsessed with currently. It is so good for you and gives you a taste of the tropics. Yum! I also topped with my favorite seasonings. I used a bit of cayenne pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, and sea salt, but feel free to use whatever you like. This is about achieving a flavor palate that appeals to your taste buds. Put this in a 350*F oven for 15 minutes and then stir. Repeat in 15 minute cycles until you have reached the tenderness level that you desire. I like my squash soft almost to the gushy point, but not quite there. You can eat this by itself for a healthy and nutritious dinner or you can add something to it.


For instance if you happen to be obsessed with toasted cheese sandwiches (like me) you can eat the squash as a side for your toasted cheese sandwich.


And there you have it, a healthy, easy to make dinner perfect for a cold winter day.