Chili-Rubbed Winter Squash Salad with Feta and Pomegranate

This hearty roasted squash salad is a delicious winter dish, eaten warm from the oven.  The squash offers a big dose of carotenoids which helps protect against heart disease.  The pomegranate seeds are a nutrient-dense superfood with anti-oxidant and immune-boosting benefits and may help lower bad cholesterol.  The hazelnuts bring a nice crunch to the salad as well as provide good fats, making this a heart healthy dish.  A whole squash is sliced and brushed with a marinade of olive oil, maple syrup and spices to give it a bit of kick then oven roasted until caramelized.  The warm wedges are then topped with feta,  pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts for a colorful salad with great texture and flavor. Blue cheese, chèvre or queso blanco can be substituted for the feta.