The Hot/Cold Salad

Salads are one of my food staples. We have a salad with dinner most every night. We often do a "big salad" as the main course for dinner, especially in the heat of the summer. Summer salads are packed full of fresh veggies, and often chicken salad or hard boiled eggs to make it a meal.

But one of my all time favorites, particularly in the fall, is my "hot/cold salad". I love a salad of fresh greens and crunch raw veggies(radishes, peppers, turnips etc. in the fall) with a nice warm element on top. My go to is a top my salad with a warm scoop of brown rice and some tofu. The warm rice and cool, crunchy veggies are such a great compliment to each other. It's also nice and filling.

Recently I have a new salad combo that I can't get enough of. It seems a bit weird but it is so good. I make a salad with arugula and veggies. Then I make some tuna salad for protein. My tuna salad is usually:

- 1 can of tuna (usually Trader Joes Albacore tuna)
- 1 Tbsp mayo
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mayo
- 1 tsp dill
- pepper and salt to taste


Then I put roasted acorn squash on top for the warm element. It is just so good and comforting.  My roasted acorn squash method is:

Roasting Acorn Squash:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds
- Drizzle squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
- Drizzle with about a tsp of maple syrup on each side.
- Put cut side up on a baking pan (add enough water to the pan to surround the squash and avoid burning)
- Cook about 40 minutes or until squash is tender and lightly browned on top.

You can swap in any other protein(chicken, tofu, eggs) or another squash, like butternut. It's an easy and filling weeknight meal.