Simple Autumn Salad with Pumpkin, Pecans and Cranberries

simple autumn salad with pecans, pumpkin and cranberries

On Saturday night, it finally happened. I was standing at the bus stop, waiting for the bus that would carry me home after an 11-hour shift at the shop working on a large, last-minute order. My back and feet were aching, but a strange feeling of lightness settled over me. I should feel worse than I do, I thought to myself. Just then a cool breeze kicked up and brushed past, carrying some of my exhaustion with it. While the days are still holding strong, in the evening, it’s impossible to ignore — fall is really here.

In honor of that mixture of warmer days with a little taste of autumn at night, I wanted to dress up my salads a little this week with a preview of what’s to come. This salad features honey roasted pumpkin, pecans, cranberries and a very, very simple and easy-to-make honey dijon dressing.

simple autumn salad with pecans, pumpkin and cranberries

It comes together very quickly, once you have the pumpkin roasted, and even that isn’t very hands on. This is a busy time of year for me as a baker, so much so that I don’t really get to do a lot of the low-and-slow fall cooking I used to dedicate my weekends to, but that’s okay, because where there’s a will, there’s a way, and this salad has been a nice compromise.

simple autumn salad with pecans, pumpkin and cranberries

Like all salads, it is highly customizable and would be just as good with any number of greens, I think. I used what I had on hand, which was romaine, red dandelion greens and a variety of baby greens. I think spinach would also be good, as its hearty enough to stand up to the other earthy ingredients. The honey dijon dressing also works as a stand-alone recipe and comes together in less than five minutes.

I hope you all are enjoying the same little jolt of energy I am with these cooler days that have not yet turned from energy-sapping heat to energy-sapping cold. And I hope you can make good use of this simple little recipe that celebrates fall in a lighter way. Take care, and I’ll see y’all again on Thursday.

Follow the River North
Followtherivernorth.com

Freelance writer and editor. American in Seoul. I write about Korean food. I blog about all food. Last year I wrote a monthly column about traveling to different places around the country to explore Korean ingredients and cuisine. This ignited my interest in local foods and cooking, which I blog about regularly now. I also blog restaurant and cafe recommendations, recipes and some background and history about Korean food.

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