Last updated on November 26th, 2020
This Harvest Salad with Cranberry Lemon Vinaigrette will become your favorite fall and winter salad. A bed of arugula and spinach topped with roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, red onions, pepitas, cucumbers and homemade sugar free candied pecans. Top it all off with a sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette, which creates a beautiful to look at masterpiece that tastes amazing, and is healthy for you too! Perfect for low carb diets this holiday season.
Here’s What You Need For This Harvest Salad with Cranberry Lemon Vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
- 2 servings stovetop low carb candied pecans (see notes)
- 4 servings sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette (or to taste. Make one batch, there will be leftovers, see notes)
- 1 cup butternut squash
- pink Himalayan salt, pepper and dried sage* to taste (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 ounces arugula and spinach mix
- 2 Persian cucumbers
- 1/2 red onion (About 100 grams)
- 1 ounce roasted pepitas
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese
Recipe Notes:
The key to a delicious salad is a variety in flavor, texture and temperature of the ingredients added. There are a few steps involved to make this salad, but we promise, the end result will have you wanting to eat this salad everyday.
Salad Dressing: You can really use any salad dressing you want, but this sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette is so easy to make, it’s delicious, and you probably have all the ingredients hanging around during the holiday season. The salad dressing can be made up to a week ahead.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Pepitas: The butternut squash is roasted for about 25 minutes at 425F with butter, rubbed sage, salt and pepper. It’s incredible. You can make this ahead of time as well, just warm it up before adding it to your salad.
We assume that you can roast and salt your own pepitas (also known as pumpkin kernels or seeds) but they’re so easy to buy already pre-made, so that’s what we do.
Candied Pecans: You can make these easy stovetop candied pecans as many as 10 days ahead of time, and you can find plenty of other uses for them during the holiday season. They come together very quickly on the stovetop in a skillet.
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Tools:
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping block
- Nesting bowls
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Rubber spatula
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Let’s Make It!
First, preheat your oven to 425F.
The next step would be to prepare your sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette if you haven’t already. It can be prepared up to a week ahead of time. It comes together in less than 5 minutes in the food processor, but it tastes best if chilled. So make that first, so you can keep it in the fridge while the rest of the salad comes together.
While your oven is preheating, peel and cut up a small to medium sized butternut squash and cut it into bite sized pieces. Place the squash in a large bowl, then melt your butter, and drizzle it over the squash. Season with salt, pepper and dried sage to taste. Toss with a rubber spatula, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pieces are golden brown.
Next, you will want to prepare your candied pecans, if you haven’t already. You can prepare them up to 10 days ahead of time. They take just 15 minutes to prepare in total, and 10 of those minutes are spent resting. Once they come out of the skillet, set them aside while you put the rest of the salad together.
Now, add your arugula and spinach to a large bowl. Layer on red onions, and your butternut squash once cooked.
Add some cucumbers, your candied pecans and goat cheese.
Add in the pepitas. Keep layering the ingredients so you can see all the lovely colors. Now, drizzle on your sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette.
Enjoy!
Please let us know if you guys give this recipe a try, and be sure to share with us on Instagram @afullliving so we can share your creations! We hope you enjoy how we combined some of our favorite holiday recipes.
Until next time,
Briana & Chamere
This Harvest Salad with Cranberry Lemon Vinaigrette will become your favorite fall and winter salad. A bed of arugula and spinach topped with roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, red onions, pepitas, cucumbers and homemade sugar free candied pecans. Top it all off with a sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette, which creates a beautiful to look at masterpiece that tastes amazing, and is healthy for you too! Perfect for low carb diets this holiday season.
- 2 servings stovetop low carb candied pecans (see notes)
- 4 servings sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette (or to taste. Make one batch, there will be leftovers, see notes)
- 1 cup butternut squash
- pink Himalayan salt, pepper and dried sage* to taste (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 ounces arugula and spinach mix
- 2 whole Persian cucumbers
- 1/2 whole red onion (About 100 grams)
- 1 ounce roasted pepitas
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese
The next step would be to prepare your sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette if you haven’t already. It can be prepared up to a week ahead of time. It comes together in less than 5 minutes in the food processor, but it tastes best if chilled. So make that first, so you can keep it in the fridge while the rest of the salad comes together.
First, preheat your oven to 425F. While your oven is preheating, peel and cut up a small to medium sized butternut squash and cut it into bite sized pieces. Place the squash in a large bowl, then melt your butter, and drizzle it over the squash. Season with salt, pepper and dried sage to taste. Toss with a rubber spatula, then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pieces are golden brown.
Next, you will want to prepare your candied pecans, if you haven’t already. You can prepare them up to 10 days ahead of time. They take just 15 minutes to prepare in total, and 10 of those minutes are spent resting. Once they come out of the skillet, set them aside while you put the rest of the salad together.
Now, add your arugula and spinach to a large bowl. Layer on red onions, and your butternut squash once cooked.
Add some cucumbers, your candied pecans and goat cheese.
Add in the pepitas. Keep layering the ingredients so you can see all the lovely colors. Now, drizzle on your sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette.
Macros: Makes 6 servings* 291 calories, 26 grams fat, 8 net carbs (3 grams fiber), 5 grams of protein per serving.
*We calculated these macros by combining nutrition information from the various components combined in this recipe. This recipe includes 4 servings of sugar free cranberry vinaigrette and 2 servings of candied pecans. You can find a more detailed breakdown of macros of each component on their perspective posts. Please note that you should adjust everything to your tastes, and know that the macros will be affected by this. This nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is estimated using MyFitnessPal.
The key to a delicious salad is a variety in flavor, texture and temperature of the ingredients added. There are a few steps involved to make this salad, but we promise, the end result will have you wanting to eat this salad everyday.
Salad Dressing: You can really use any salad dressing you want, but this sugar free cranberry lemon vinaigrette is so easy to make, it’s delicious, and you probably have all the ingredients hanging around during the holiday season. The salad dressing can be made up to a week ahead.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Pepitas: The butternut squash is roasted for about 25 minutes at 425F with butter, rubbed sage, salt and pepper. It’s incredible. You can make this ahead of time as well, just warm it up before adding it to your salad.
We assume that you can roast and salt your own pepitas (also known as pumpkin kernels or seeds) but they’re so easy to buy already pre-made, so that’s what we do.
Candied Pecans: You can make these easy stovetop candied pecans as many as 10 days ahead of time, and you can find plenty of other uses for them during the holiday season. They come together very quickly on the stovetop in a skillet.
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