Quinoa Fall Harvest Salad
This quinoa fall harvest salad is one of my favorites for a side dish for the holidays. When it comes to Thanksgiving meals I am not a fan of the traditional meals. I know call me crazy, but I am so bored with the whole traditional Thanksgiving meals. And that is why I like to switch things up every year to keep it exciting, and make a variety of different side dishes. Because I am all about the side dishes and desserts at Thanksgiving.
Meal prep ahead of time:
What I will typically do is the night before I will prep all the roasted veggies and cook the quinoa. Because this saves me time the day of, because everything is already prepped, I just have to mix it all together.
Preparing the roasted vegetables:
I season my brussels sprouts and butternut squash with a couple sprays of avocado oil, salt + pepper to taste, garlic powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then bake 400 F degrees for 25-30 minutes. I don’t like to over cook mine, because then it will leave the salad soggy, so cook them until they are soft but still have a crunch. Then once done let cool, place in an airtight container, and store in refrigerator.
Cooking the quinoa:
Next I cook my quinoa according to package, but instead of using water, I use vegetable broth for added flavor. If you don’t have vegetable broth that is okay just use water. Once done let cool, add to an airtight container, and store in refrigerator.
Dressing:
The dressing I have included with this is optional, but it definitely adds a lot more flavor. With our without the dressing, both ways are equally delicious. Prepare your dressing and store in a mason jar in the fridge.
Putting it all together:
Now the morning off, I add roasted veggies, quinoa, and remainder of ingredients to a large bowl, and mix. It can be served cold, warm, or at room temperature.
Quinoa fall harvest salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butternut squash
- 1 cup Brussel sprouts
- Salt + pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 cup dried multi color quinoa
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup Pomegranates
- 1/4 cup Pumpkin seed
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 2 Tbsp chopped mint
Optional dressing 1:
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1-2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- Add to a bowl whisk, add to quinoa salad, and mix.
Optional dressing 2:
- 1 orange zested
- 1 orange juiced
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup Optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add Brussel sprouts, butternut squash, avocado oil, salt + pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg, to a baking dishes lined with parchment paper.
- Bake 400 for 25-30 minutes.
- Cook quinoa according to package use vegetable broth in place of water.
- Once all is done cooking let cool completely
- Add everything to a large bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients.