Unboring: Butternut Slaw with Goat Cheese

I have, in the past, lamented on how difficult it is to make winter vegetables more....interesting. My gut reaction is to roast them with any variety of herbs and/or spices. I mean, it's good, but it can't take me though the winter feeling satisfied.

Thus, when I stumbled upon this recipe this morning, I knew what was going to be for dinner tonight. By the magic of the DVR, Tyler Florence was performing for me at my beck & call at 10 this morning as I ate my breakfast. He's so cute, isn't he?

::swoon::

Whoops, I digress. It was his ultimate sloppy joe episode. And, paired with the healthier-than-usual sloppy joes was a raw butternut squash slaw with a goat cheese dressing, all topped with cranberries & walnuts. Because I am a fan of all things crunchy & all things slaw, I was instantly intrigued. Plus? It was a great excuse to use the food processor I got for Christmas! Woohoo! With my street plowed and my resolve firm, I headed out to gather the necessary supplies.

This recipe definitely lived up to expectations. It's crunchy, tart, slightly sweet and nutty. The relatively small amount of goat cheese (4 oz) imparts a large amount of goat-y flavor (thus, if you do not like goat cheese, you likely will not like this...).

It also wakes me up to a whole new wintry world of slaw possibilities. I almost wonder if acorn squash would be a lovely stand-in for green papaya in Thai Papaya Salad....

Butternut Squash Coleslaw with Honey Goat Cheese Dressing
Source: www.foodnetwork.com

• 4 ounces fresh creamy goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Salt & pepper
  
• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• Special equipment: mandoline or food processor

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine goat cheese, honey, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir well with a whisk until fully combined and creamy. (This was more difficult than I had anticipated. With a bit of patience & perseverance, it all came together, but next time I'll probably make the dressing in the food processor & remove before I shred the squash)

Peel squash & remove seeds from the bulb portion. Using a mandoline, food processor or sharp knife, cut the peeled cylinder into fine long matchsticks (julienne). This should yield about 4 cups. Fold into the cheese dressing along with dried cranberries, walnuts and chopped fresh parsley.

Slaw with its good friend, Ultimate Sloppy Joes.