This Moroccan quinoa salad is packed with cold weather comfort foods, like butternut squash, apples, and pomegranate. Vegan, gluten free, and very easy, this is a great weeknight meal.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 40 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
½a butternut squashpeeled (about 3 cups)
1large tart applecored
½a large onion
6whole cloves of garlic
1thumb gingerpeeled
2tablespoonsoil*
1tablespooncumin
1teaspooncinnamon
¾teaspoonblack pepper*
½teaspoonturmeric
½teaspoonhot pepper flakesor to taste
¼teaspooncardamom
Salt to taste
2cupsof quinoacooked
¼cupolive oil
Juice of one lemon
½teaspoonmaple syrup
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds and herbs for topping*
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375F/190C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dice the squash, apple, and onion in about equal sizes. Don't peel the garlic. It'll roast in its skin and be mellow and sweet. (Make sure you peel it before you serve it though.) Cut the ginger quite large and remove it before serving.*
Mix everything together in a bowl or right on the prepared baking sheet. Get your hands in there to make sure everything's pretty evenly coated with the spices. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Try not to eat half the veggies before serving them like I did.
While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa. Place one cup of quinoa in a pot with two cups of water and a teaspoon of salt, bring a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for about fifteen minutes, or until you don't see any water when you tilt the pot. Keep it covered and in the pot to dry slightly while the vegetables finish cooking.
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and salt. This is your dressing.
Serve the quinoa in a large shallow bowl or platter, topped with the roasted vegetables. Add the dressing, and then scatter the pomegranate seeds and herbs over everything. It's best served warm, but quite good at room temperature too.
Notes
1. I usually use grape seed oil for cooking over 350F. 2. That was about 25 twists of my pepper mill, but I have no idea what kind you have. 3. Cilantro is the obvious choice for an herb in this dish, but I didn't have any, and my sage has survived the frost so far. 4. You can leave the ginger in if you want some surprise flu-fighters, but it'll still be pretty spicy.