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 think a tart cherry vinaigrette with some honey to counteract some of the tartness would be amazing! Perfect on top of a late fall salad
I love this recipe! I am a breakfast person so if I had tart cherries I would add them into some delicious muffins or use them as a warm oatmeal topping…. yum! I might even throw them together with some other fruit to use as a syrupy dressing on top of pancakes or waffles.
Tart Cherry Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts!
Hmmm…I m wondering if roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, tart cherries and balsamic vinegar would be something good? Or another thought – my dad’s favorite pie is cherry-cream cheese icebox pie, made from cherry pie filling. I bet replacing the canned filling with a homemade one from tart cherries would be awesome, and then flavoring the whipped cream with some of the juice…looks like I better get busy!
That salad looks fantastic! I think tart cherries would be great in some granola!
Yum! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I use dried tart cherries in homemade granola bars using mini chocolate chips, oats, honey and organic chocolate crisp rice cereal.
tart cherry clafoutis!
I love cherries in baked goods! I found an absolutely amazing cherry-pistachio croissant in a wood-fired bakery (two hours away; aww), and then at home the local baker enlightened me to how delicious berry-stuffed challah is. Put two and two together (since I can’t seem to make laminated dough worth its butter) – and it seems like I’ll be attempting pistachio-dusted cherry challah soon.
One of my favorite desserts is tart cherry pie- YUM! But tart cherries are also so delicious in a creamy smoothie with cocoa powder and a drop of almond extract…. decisions, decisions!
Cannot wait to make this! Since squash sizes vary so much, could you please give us a general idea of how many cups of cubed squash we should have? Thanks so much!
good point – about 2 cups, (like I mentioned, mine was small). I just updated the recipe.
What a great giveaway!!! Tart cherry “pesto” with shallots and garlic and olive oil and use it for a sandwich stuffed with leafy greens. The idea is a spin on a recipe I read in a cook book once, although the recipe in the book was with prunes, I think cherries would work well.
Anything with tart cherries and almonds is delicious! I might try a scone or muffin sometime soon.
tart cherry and chocolate scones would be divine!
tart cherry yogurt cake with a tart cherry juice glaze
My good southern grandma, “Nanny”. Nanny grew up in East Texas, on a big farm, closer to a plantation than to a ranch, but still somewhere in between. She learned to cook from what she called a “hand”, an old Aunt-Jemima-type figure. So even though I am Texan through and through, I have been passed down a little of that soul food mentality from my Nanny’s mentor. God bless her. I remember Nanny’s Tart Cherry Pie and when I saw this post it reminded me of her so fiercely. It was a basic cherry pie but with none if that sickly sweet cherry pie filling. Only dark, tart cherries cooked down in their own juices with dark brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves, then added cornstarch to thicken and threw it in a blind baked crust. Warm, sweet and spicy and just perfect with vanilla Blue Bell on top, melting onto it. You could never get a piece out with out making the whole thing fall apart and making a god awful mess. It was amazing. I’ve experimented with a few changes to spices (bruised black pepper corns, chinese five spice, nutmeg) and fruits (I’ve added poached peaches, black plums, roasted tomatoes) and I’ve been tempted to add a nice spring-y goat cheese. They’ve all been delicious. And nostalgic.
I want to make a tart cherry cocktail with slightly smoky Mezcal, a bit of ancho chili liqueur (or, even better, a sugar/ancho chili powdered rim), a drizzle of honey, lime juice, bitters, and some sparkling water. And maybe some grapefruit juice! Cheers 🙂
I would use tart cherries in a granola bar recipe!
Gorgeous! Just the kind of transitional fall dish that makes seasons so exciting. What a dreamy giveaway. : )
Duh! I forgot my recipe idea. Currently I’m dreaming of a mulled cider or wine featuring tart cherries. Sweet cider paired with tart sweet cherry juice, cinnamon, cloves, maybe some orange and perhaps some bourbon sounds heavenly.
I’ve recently been enjoying rice dishes having been inspired by my time in South Africa. I would love to try basmati rice, saffron and sour cherries cooked in a little butter, sugar and cherry juice. Served with juicy pork and my favorite South African chutney sauce would be even better!
I love tart cherries! A good recipe for tart cherries is dark chocolate tart cherry cookies. I have made them a few times and they are divine! Thanks for the giveaway!