Salmon and a Fall Salad

One weekday I found myself with an acorn squash and some kale (leftover from baked kale chips) dwindling from our weekly CSA box. Per usual I googled around a bit and found a perfect fall salad. The vinaigrette really complemented all the flavors. We topped the salad with baked salmon for some protein.

Fall Salad with Acorn Squash & Pomegranate by Curtis Stone via ABC's The Biggest Loser recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 shallot, cut into thin slices
1/2 large acorn squash (about 18 ounces), peeled, halved, seeds removed, cut into 1 inch wedges
2 cloves garlic
2 spring thyme
4 cups wild arugula (we used 1/2 mixed greens and 1/2 kale)
1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts (we omitted the nuts)

Directions
   Preheat oven to 350F. Toss acorn squash with 1 tablespoon oil, garlic cloves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Place contents of bowl on baking sheet and put in center rack of oven. Cook until squash is tender and edges begin to caramelize, approx 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
   To make vinaigrette: place vinegar in small mixing bowl; while whisking, slowly pour in remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to emulsify. Add shallots and season to taste.
   To assemble: In large mixing bowl, toss arugula with vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds. Place arugula on four serving plates, divide the squash among the plates and tuck them in between the leaves. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts.

Since the acorn squash were being baked in the large oven, we placed the salmon on the same baking sheet half way through cooking the acorn squash (we found they needed a little longer than 15 minutes). The salad provided lots of flavor and texture with the squash, pomegranate seeds, and vinaigrette so we opted for a simple preparation of the salmon. We rubbed it with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.