Fall Kale Salad

To Make:

1. Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Add the cubed butternut squash to a large sheet pan, drizzle with the 1 tbsp olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Give it a toss to evenly coat the squash.
2. When the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 45 minutes.
3. While the squash roasts, let’s move on to marinating the chicken (to save time you could use rotisserie chicken instead and skip this part entirely). In a medium bowl, add the 2 tbsp dijon mustard, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 tsp black pepper. Stir together until everything is incorporated. Add in the chicken breasts and coat them evenly with the marinade mixture. Set aside and allow to marinate while we toast the pine nuts.
4. This step takes some patience and constant attention – the roasting of the pine nuts. Heat a medium pan over medium to high heat and add in the pine nuts. You will want to frequently stir the pine nuts to prevent burning and make sure to watch the heat. The toasting process will take about 12-15 minutes. You will know they are finished when they start to turn slightly darker in color and give off a nutty aroma. (for this step its all about watching, smelling and constantly stirring). Once they are toasted, turn off and remove from the heat and transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
5. At this point, the chicken is ready to cook. Using the same pan you used for the pine nuts, heat over medium heat and add in 1 tbsp oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the chicken breasts (and any leftover marinade), cover and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Flip the chicken, cover again and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes, remove the lid and continue cooking the chicken uncovered for another 5 minutes.
7. At this point, the chicken should be done and the oven should be going off for the squash. First, turn the stove off and remove the chicken pan from the heat and allow the chicken to rest. Second, turn off the oven and remove the pan of butternut squash from the oven and set aside.
8. While the chicken rests and the squash cools a bit – let’s start the assembly of the salad. In a large bowl, add in the kale and a few tablespoons of your dressing. Using your hands, massage the kale with the dressing for about 3 minutes – this will help break down the kale and make it more pleasant to eat.
9. Moving back to the chicken for a minute, grab a cutting board and knife and cut the chicken into roughly 1 inch pieces.
10. Now to finish the salad, add in the romaine lettuce, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan, butternut squash, and chicken and drizzle on a bit more dressing. Toss to combine.
11. Lastly, squeeze the juice of 1 lime all over the salad and give it a quick toss. Divide the salad between 2-3 bowls and top with even more shave parmesan!