Roasted Delicata, Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

I woke up the other morning with this salad on my mind. Well, the roasted delicata squash and corn aspect of it, anyhow. As the day went by, the other components- black beans, avocado, grape tomatoes and a cilantro-lime vinaigrette, based off of a fajita marinade I had a while back- fell into place.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sometimes spends all day dreaming up a recipe. (Right?) Adding and taking away ingredients in my mind. Of course, there are those days I'm tired or uninspired, and I just want to follow someone else's recipe or make an old standby, but I love when I am so excited to began putting together the meal that I've spent my day pondering over. This was one of those recipes- when Sage came home from work, he was a little surprised to find I had dinner already prepared. I just didn't want to wait any longer.

I'm happy to share that it was every bit as wonderful as I'd imagined it to be. Everything worked so perfectly together. The warm roasted squash, the sweet corn, vibrant tasting vinaigrette and the creamy avocado, it was all just right and definitely worthy of a day spent thinking about it.

Roasted Delicata, Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
serves 3-4 as a meal

for the roasted vegetables:
3 ears corn, kernels sliced off
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 (1 lb) delicata squash, unpeeled, seeded and cut into about 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

for the vinaigrette:
1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/3 cup lime juice (from 2 limes)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (use a vegetarian version, if that matters to you)
2 tsp agave or honey
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt

for the salad:
4 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach
4 cups (loosely packed) mixed greens
1 cup (cooked) black beans, drained and rinsed, if using canned
1/2 Haas avocado, sliced

Preheat oven to 425. Toss corn kernels, grape tomatoes, and squash with olive oil and season with several pinches of salt and lots of pepper. Spread in single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is tender and tomatoes have collapsed, stirring a few times during roasting. Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Using a food processor or blender, pulse cilantro, jalapeno and garlic together until well minced. Add lime juice, worcestershire, agave, canola and salt and process to blend.

To compose salad, place spinach and mixed greens in serving bowl, top with black beans, roasted vegetables and avocado. Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Serve with remaining vinaigrette at the table.