Roasted Squash Arugula Salad

Peel and cube the butternut squash into bite sized pieces. Preheat oven to 400 F and toss the butternut squash in olive oil and salt. Spread the squash in an even layer over a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes and stir halfway through.

While the squash is roasting, toast your macadamia nuts. Heat a skillet (not non-stick) over medium heat. Once hot, pour in macadamia nuts. Move them around constantly with a spatula or spoon until they’re lightly toasted and fragrant. This should take less than 5 minutes.

Once the butternut squash is roasted and the macadamia nuts are toasted, put together the vinaigrette. Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and pressed garlic together in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Keep whisking while you pour in olive oil. Once the olive has fully incorporated, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Now put your salad together. There’s really no rhyme or reason on how much of each ingredient you should use. Just go for it! Use however much you like. Place arugula on a plate or bowl and top with the roasted butternut squash, toasted macadamia nuts and crumbled feta cheese and then smother the whole thing in the lemon garlic vinaigrette. Serve immediately and be thoroughly satisfied.

Notes:
1. If you’re making this for a crowd, it makes about 4 large dinner salads.
2. If you’re making individual salads, store the ingredients separately in the refrigerator, so the arugula won’t wilt and the macadamia nuts stay crunchy. Then you can warm up the butternut squash again if you like!