I tried to celebrate World Vegetarian Day on October 1. I really, really tried. I had found a recipe for “smoked eggplant” in an Indian cookbook and chalked it up to kismet that I had all the ingredients in the pantry. I roasted the eggplants whole on the grill, then peeled the charred skin away and cut it up in cubes. I sautéed onions, garlic, chiles and added some warming spices. The kitchen smelled amazing! And then I tasted it. It tasted like poison–acrid and so bitter! I tried to zhoosh it up with some coconut milk and fresh lime juice, but it would not budge and remained wholly inedible.  There was no saving it, and so we ate chicken…on World Vegetarian Day.  I hate when that happens.

Eggplant disasters aside, I am no stranger to vegetarian cooking and I’ve been a vegetarian and a vegan at different points in my life. So, with October being Vegetarian Awareness Month, I want to be mindful of incorporating more meatless meals into our weekly rotation. Let me be completely honest–I won’t be giving up meat entirely in October. I love my veggies, but I also love meat and October is just too full of fun ways to eat it! I’m not so sure I want to pass up chilies, stews and bratwursts this time of year! Now that it’s starting to cool down, I’m beginning to crave more sturdy vegetables–root vegetables, kale, Brussels sprouts, for example; and lately, I’ve been majorly crushing on Delicata Squash.

Mildly sweet and quite similar in flavor to butternut squash, but they bake so quickly and the best thing is that they don’t require peeling! After roasting, the skin is quite tender. They are like butternut squash’s low drama cousin–sweet, easygoing and perfect to add to an autumn salad! I’ve been finding them everywhere–from the farmer’s market to the regular grocery store.

This salad is such a powerhouse–crunchy, nutty quinoa, hearty kale, bright bursts of pomegranate, cranberries and pine nuts!  Once you’ve topped it with slices of maple roasted squash and tossed it with a lemony tahini dressing–I’m willing to bet that you’re going to forget that it’s meatless! It’s a salad that can be both a side dish or a complete meal and it also happens to be Vegan and gluten-free! Perfect for Meatless Monday!

This salad is super flexible.  I’ll tell you how I make it, and then you can add and subtract components according to your preference. When I’m making salads I always hear a little voice in my head that says: “Edit, Tracey! Don’t throw the entire pantry into it!” But that’s my thing–I like an epic grain salad! The quinoa is cooked just like pasta–in a pot of rapidly boiling, salted water and it only takes 10 minutes! By cooking the quinoa this way, the grains are fluffy and retain a bit of crunch. Simply slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and roast it in the oven. After about 15 minutes, toss them with a drizzle of maple syrup–they’ll get golden and sweet and you’ll find yourself popping into your mouth like snacks! Just be sure to save some for the salad.  I threw in pomegranate arils** for a little burst of tartness. I also added some dried cranberries and lightly toasted pine nuts for crunch. And the dressing! So amazing–creamy tahini, lemon juice, more maple syrup (because it’s Autumn) and garlic.  It’s an unbelievably delicious combination that was inspired by Sara Forte’s Tahini Dressing recipe The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. I like eating this salad slightly warm, but it packs and refrigerates exceptionally well.

NOTE: **I learned an easy way to remove the arils from a pomegranate. Slice the pomegranate in half around its equator and separate the two halves. Hold the pomegranate half over a bowl in the palm of your hand, cut side down. With a wooden spoon, repeatedly smack the back of the pomegranate until all of the arils have fallen into the bowl. Repeat with the second half of the pomegranate. Rinse, then remove the bits and pieces of membrane from the arils. It’s super simple and no stained fingers!