Mix greens and spinach with Roasted Butternut Squash, Bacon, Pecan and Maple Vinaigrette - Featured in Group Recipes

I saw this recipe from one of the foodie’s site but unfortunately I forgot to write down the url.  This recipe is adapted from the Kitchen of Once Upon a Plate.  the two things that I changed in this recipe included using pecans instead of walnuts (my hubby is a southern boy through & through) and I added spinach mixed into the regular salad greens (another favorite of ours.) We enjoyed this salad so much that we did not want the meal to end.  The flavors in this salad go extremely well with a favorite white wine, which for me is usually on the slightly sweet (demi sec) side of the equation. We drank an Australian Gerwurtztraminer with it that evening.Heaven!  

Serving: 4

Ingredients for the Salad:

1 packet 125 gm mix greens

1 packet 125 gm spinach leaves

3 cups butternut squash

5 slices of bacon

1 cup pecans

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive

1/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

¼  tsp Sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method to prepare Vinaigrette:

Place Maple syrup in a small pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and allow syrup to reduce by about half. In a small bowl, whisk together the reduced maple syrup with the vinegar, whisk in the Dijon mustard, then whisk in the oil until mixture is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Method to prepare the salad:

Washed mix greens and spinach leaves and set aside. Remove skin and seeds of Butternut squash and into cubes/dice (about 3/4-inch). Slices of bacon, sliced crosswise into thin strips and fried until just crisp, drained. Spray some oil on the pan and roast pecans. Place diced butternut squash on rimmed baking sheet, toss with a tablespoon olive oil to coat, then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast in hot oven turning pieces once or twice until just tender but not mushy. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Arrange mix green and spinach leaves in salad bowl and add roasted butternut squash, crispy bacon and pecans. Drizzle with Maple Vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper before serving.

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