Winter Squash In Color

Often times our vegetable based side dishes really do take a backseat to the main course and stay in there position as an addition and don’t steal the show! I love to move away from this traditional role and mix up things up with a flavour and colour boosted dish!

I made this squash for Thanksgiving this year knowing that oftentimes this meal can traditionally be quite brown, and sometimes a pop of colour is a needed change! Squash is a perfect dish for the fall, but let’s not forget about the beautiful veg like the purples in beets and radicchio and the deep greens in Onions and Chives!

For this combination I layered a beet and sunflower seed spread, shredded Radicchio and layered both Roasted Butternut Squash and Delicata Squash on top. I then sprinkled some Tofu Feta and Green Onions for a bit of bite!

I sliced the squash and removed the skins from the Butternut and not from the Delicata as it’s nice and thin. I then mixed the squash with oil, cayenne a titch of honey and salt + pep and then roasted them at 400’ for about 30 mins with a flip in between.

For the Beet Dip I blended 1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds, 2 cloves of garlic, tahini and a few cooked beets. I always like to keep cooked beets in the fridge as they can be easily added to salads, smoothies and dips for extra colour and flavour!

I made this platter once I arrived at my dinner party (doesn’t transport well on the bike) and so packed up the various items in advance which made it a perfect make ahead dish!

First, I spread the Beet Dip onto the platter, I then placed the ripped Radicchio-this is an extremely bitter green so adds the perfect complement to the sweeter Squash. I then layered on the Squash and broke some Feta over the whole dish. I had bought some Sprouts to add but they were a bit too wilted and so I went with Green Onions which I had available- the Sprouts would have been a nice addition though!

This is a great dish for the fall season and to prepare in advance and enjoy throughout the week! the dip can also be used as a Salad Dressing or Vegetable Dip and can be kept in the fridge up to two weeks!

Bon Appetit!