Roasted Butternut Squash with Spicy Pecans + Dates

This salad is a real treat! It's my attempt to recreate a similar salad from my favorite restaurant, Northstar Cafe. Rather than use beets like they do, I subbed in dates. I'm not a huge fan of beets.

MAKES: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
- Cooking spray
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed (you can roast these for a little snack!) and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 T sugar
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 T honey
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 C pecan halves
- 1 package mixed greens (or any lettuce you'd like to use)
- 1/2 c pitted dates
- 1/4 c champagne vinegar
- 2 T Honey Dijon Mustard
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil


DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly coat with cooking spray.
2) In ziplock bag, combine the sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
3) In a frying pan, warm 2 T of the honey over low heat. Add the cayenne, mix well. Add the pecans and stir until coated. Spread the nuts onto the baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned - about 8-10 minutes. Don't let them burn! Watch closely. Remove from oven and let cook slightly, then add to the bag of sugar and salt. Shake until fully coated. Lay nuts out to cool on the baking sheet.
4) Raise the oven temp to 450 degrees F. Line another baking sheet and spray with cooking oil.
5) In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash pieces with 2T of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash pieces across the baking sheet. Roast, turning several times, until tender and lightly browned. Roughly 25 mins. Remove from oven and cover with foil.
6) Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, the last 2 T of honey, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oil in a small bowl.
7) Toss the mixed greens with the desired amount of dressing. Spoon into a large bowl and top with the roasted squash, pecans and dates. Serve immediately.

Recipe was modified from this recipe on healthy green kitchen