Vegetables have always been a big part of my daily diet – I just love them – so Christmas and other holidays can be hard for me, because there is so much meat and fat involved. I find that if I include a lot of vegetables I feel so much better, so my dinner has a lot of salads and vegetable combinations.
Butternut squash salad (Serves 8)
1butternut squash, about 500g
3tbspn olive oil
1tspn Szechuan peppercorns, crushed with a pestle and mortar
½ red cabbage, about 500g
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch of coriander (cilantro), to garnish
For the dressing
1tbsp grapeseed oil
3tbsp soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut the squash in half lengthways, remove all the seeds and cut across into thin slices, 5mm thick, with the peel still on.
Spread out on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, mix with the olive oil, Szechuan pepper and some salt and bake for 10 minutes, then leave to cool on the sheet.
While the squash is in the oven, cut the red cabbage into slices about 5mm thick, rinse in cold water and drain well.
Mix the dressing ingredients together, and just before serving mix the butternut, red cabbage and dressing together, place on a serving dish and decorate with coriander (cilantro).
Adapted from Scandinavian Comfort Food by Trine Hahnemann