Salad greens with acorn squash

Looking for ways to use winter squash? Here's a fast and easy recipe with flavor and crunch. It works with acorn or butternut squash.

You can use acorn or butternut squash in this recipe. You can also use maple syrup in place of honey.

To make this plant based, use sugar or maple syrup instead of honey or leave out honey.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 small acorn squash (about 2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups leaf lettuce, such as spring mix
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
4 teaspoons honey

Directions

Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during cooking. Microwave each squash on high until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn the squash after 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Place the squash on a cutting board and cut in half. Scrape the seeds out of the center of each half and discard the seeds. Remove the pulp of the squash and put it into a mixing bowl. Repeat with the other squash. There should be about 2 cups of pulp. Sprinkle squash with the brown sugar and add the olive oil. Mix until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Divide the lettuce among 4 salad plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of the squash mixture, 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds and 1 teaspoon honey. Serve immediately.