Roasted Squash Salad With Whipped Feta

Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over the pitted dates (4) in the bottom of a very small cup or bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the squash (~1 1/2 pounds) into roughly 1 inch wedges or quarter moons (depending on variety), removing the seeds, and removing the skin if you’re using a variety that does not taste good once roasted. Remove the skin of a butternut squash, but leave the skins of delicata or acorn squash, for example. Leaving the skins where possible makes for a more interesting dish and helps the squash pieces hold together once they’re soft and roasted.

In a large bowl, toss the cut squash together with 1 tablespoon of oil, garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon), and a generous amount of salt (~1/2 teaspoon), then spread across 1 1/2 of the baking sheets. Next, toss the red onion (1 large, peeled and cut into wedges) in the same bowl with a little more salt (~1/4 teaspoon) and 1/2 tablespoon oil. Spread the onion pieces across the final 1/2 of the baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 20-30 minutes, rotating the sheets and turning the squash pieces half way until everything is tender and slightly golden. If the onions are browning too quickly, you can remove them 5 or so minutes early.

Blitz the feta cheese (6 ounces), Greek yogurt (4 ounces or 1/2 cup), olive oil (1 tablespoon), and lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon) together in a mini food processor or strong bullet blender: depending on your device, you may need to stop to scrape down the sides a couple of times to get a smooth mixture – it should be thick. Leftover whipped feta will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

In a small dry frying pan over a medium high heat, toast the pumpkin seeds (3 tablespoons) for 5 minutes or so until they’re split and popping. Set aside to cool.

Wash out the food processor or blender, and blend together the soaked dates, any leftover soaking liquid, extra virgin olive oil (1 1/2 tablespoons), red wine vinegar (1 1/2 tablespoons), and a pinch of kosher salt. Gradually add more water as needed to get an almost smooth, drizzle-consistency dressing. It’s okay if a few small pieces of date remain. This mixture can easily be doubled as it is great with roasted fall vegetables and beans.

To serve, swirl the whipped feta across a large serving dish. Pile on the roasted squash, and scatter over the roasted onions. Follow with the toasted pumpkin seeds, and drizzle over the dressing. Add the fresh cilantro, and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.