After the heaviness of the Thanksgiving meal, I’ve been craving light, brothy soups and salads. This salad of beets, carrots and sautéed squash is a perfect example of what’s been calling me.

It’s a wonderful mixture of raw mingled with the lightly sautéed spiraling squash which is ready in minutes. The spirals make it more interesting to prep, quicker to cook and far more delightful to look at and eat, but you can simply cut the vegetables into thin strips with a knife if you don’t have a spiralizer.

The oil from the sautéed squash becomes the dressing…so everything about this is easy. If you wish to make this into a whole meal, you can add a protein of your choice such as some grilled chicken or roasted salmon perhaps, or maybe an egg. This salad has plenty of possibilities for you to vary it to your desires so go for it.

Ingredients – per person

1 beet  – spiralized or thinly cut

1 carrot  – spiralized or thinly cut

1 zucchini or winter squash – spiralized or thinly cut and squeezed in a towel or cheese cloth to absorb this moisture

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove – finely diced

Fresh, flat leafed Italian parley – chopped for garnish

Instruction

Place a medium skillet over medium/high heat. Add oil and heat until hot but not smoking.

Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften (about 2 minutes or so). Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or just until it begins to brown. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper

Add it to the plate with the other ingredients. Top with the oil in the pan and the parsley and serve.