My #1 favorite healthy & hearty fall salad with butternut squash, tart cherries and a savory apple cider sage dressing. Gluten free.
My mom loves to clip articles. Newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, stories, recipes – sometimes they come in the mail, sometimes she saves them up for a visit. A couple of years ago she brought me a recipe for a couscous salad clipped from Edible Michiana that was similar to this one. We made it, loved it… then later I lost it. But I could never get this sweet & savory flavor combo out of my mind so I’ve been making versions of it ever since.
The original recipe used couscous but I used quinoa here because it’s the grain I usually have on hand. I tossed it with roasted butternut squash, feta cheese and dried tart cherries for a sweet & tangy pop of flavor. They perfectly balance the warm, savory flavors that are going on here.
While the butternut squash is roasting in the oven, make your dressing. I slightly warm some olive oil and mix in apple cider vinegar, sage, honey and cinnamon. I promise – once you toss the sage in, your kitchen will instantly smell like fall… it’s just so warm and cozy.
recipe inspired by this recipe from Edible Michiana.
I would love to make some kind of tart cherry & goat cheese tart (or cashew/macadamia cream for a vegan version)!
i like this combo! i’m definitely a person who is drawn toward the tart side of things, so these cherries sound fantastic. i would also like to eat them in a sorbet!
we only have a day to pick from our cherry tree before the birds get them. right away i make a pie then freeze the rest of the pitted cherries so at christmas i can make a magnificent black forest cake. thats all we get from our small tree but they are the two best desserts of the year!!!
I love sour cherries in a brownie, especially one made with almond meal.
I love making Tart Cherry Hand Pies, they’re just so cute and delicious to eat! Especially dipped in heavy whipping cream and little cinnamon. 😉
This recipe is beautiful! All the color reminds me of fall.
Isabelle @ Head Red & Blondi
This combination of greens, squash and quinoa looks delicious! I think that creamy polenta with tart cherries and walnuts would be a tasty side dish for a fall meal, or a hearty breakfast.
I think a hearty fall salad of seminole (or other humble-type) pumpkin, shallots, tart cherries, leafy greens, and lightly sprouted grains would be delicious and beautifully colorful.
Oops, we called tart cherries ‘sour cherries’ in Canada where I lived till recently… I meant tart! 🙂
I love cherry with herbs– I think sour cherry pie with mint or basil whipped cream would be so good! Or a cocktail with sour cherry and mint and maybe bourbon? Yum!
I think tart cherries in a smoothie.
I think tart cherry pancakes would be delicious!
This looks wonderful! I think I’d love to come up with a tart cherry crostini of some kind with creamy goat cheese or brie.
I love using tart cherries to make a pie. One of my faves! Might have to do a galette instead this year because that’s been my thing of late. 🙂 Thanks!
I love eating tart cherries plain or I love making them into a jam.
I’m thinking something frozen, like popsicles or sorbet or ice cream would be delicious!
There’s a couscous recipe from The Kitchn with tart cherries and arugula that I love. It has similar ingredients to yours, but with a different dressing that changes the flavor. Can’t wait to try yours as well!
I just saw a recipe for pavlova and I think tart cherry pavlova would be amazing!
Mmm, that salad looks amazing — can’t wait to make it! I think tart cherries are delicious in salads, but I would also love to love to incorporate some into cookies.
I think brownies with tart cherries on top would be yummy.
I just purchased some tart cherry juice concentrate. I think a sparking tart cherry limeade would be delicious.