Beat the Passover Blues: Post Seder Salad

I find that, come the end of Passover, I’ve either exhausted all possible meal combinations and no longer want to ingest anything that isn’t fruits or veggies, or, in the 11th hour, I think of all the things I should have made but didn’t think of until it was too late. This recipe falls into the latter category.

Last Passover, I made this on the very last day – and it was so delicious I wish I had thought of it earlier, rather than suffering through another kugel or piece of chicken or brisket (I mean, seriously, how much brisket can one person eat in the span of a week?!). This year, I’m doing as much meal planning as possible in advance in the hopes of emerging at the end of Passover feeling like I haven’t gained 5lbs in jelly fruit slices alone.

This makes a great 3rd night of Passover meal – after two heavy seder meals, this healthy, dairy recipe is a nice change from all the meat and kugel that is customary (or mandatory, depending on how you look at it!) at a seder.

Do yourself a favour and make the prep as simple as possible by buying pre-cut squash and pre-washed, pre-cut kale. I still found that I had to cut the pieces of squash smaller, but it was a hell of a lot easier than dealing with a whole squash! I also used a bottled dressing instead of making my own, and though Kosher for Passover dressings that are both good and not full-fat are hard to come by, I highly recommend this one:May this Passover be heavy on love and easy on your waistline – next year in Jerusalem!

Squash, Kale and Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad

1lb butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1-3 tbsp maple syrup
4-6 kale leaves, stems removed and chopped (or, about half a package of pre-washed, pre-cut kale)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup light goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 – 1/3 cup dried cranberries
dressing of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl, combine squash and maple syrup, using as much or as little maple syrup as you like. Toss to coat, then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35 minutes, until squash is soft.
2. While squash is in the oven, cook quinoa according to package directions, and let cool.
3. This salad can be served hot or cold – if you want to serve it cold, let the squash cool before moving on. If not, once squash is cooked, heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toss in kale, and cook until slightly wilted. Remove from heat.
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked squash, quinoa, kale, goat cheese, dried cranberries and dressing. Toss and serve.