Crisp Fall Salad

Serves 4 adults

This recipe is a mashup of several salad recipes we found online and in cookbooks. The roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, and smoky gouda are meant to evoke a feeling of fall. We happened to have a bottle of grenadine on hand (Juliet had a thing for Shirley Temple sodas at one point) and the sweet pomegranate dressing went perfectly against all the other flavors.

Prepared toppings:

• 1/4 lb bacon, diced
• 1/2 c bread cubes (1/2 inch dice)
• 1 butternut squash, 1/2 inch dice
• 1/2 c wild rice
• salt and pepper
• light olive oil

For dressing:

• 3 tbsp grenadine syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp celery seed, ground
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed, ground
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• pinch of white pepper
• 3 tbsp light olive oil

Finished sald:

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 granny smith apple, 1/4 inch dice
• 4 oz gouda cheese, diced
• sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
• pumpkin seeds, roasted and salted