Quinoa Salad with Roast Squash & Za’atar
Serves: 4 people
Takes: 30 mins to 1 hour
Quinoa is incredible! It's a complete protein containing all 8 of the essential amino acids your body needs. Perfect for veggies, vegans and those with a gluten allergy, you can eat it hot or cold much like cous cous. Hailed as a super crop it was discovered by the Incas and there are rumoured to be some 1800 varieties.
I like to lightly toast quinoa to bring out their nuttiness and then add lots of veggie stock for flavour. Read the pack instructions for the best way to cook yours. I'm roasting my squash with Za'atar - a Middle Eastern herby spice mix with nutty sesame and spices, and tossing it all together with a light honey mustard dressing.
Ingredients
1 small squash, peeled and cut into large bitesize pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon za'atar
250g quinoa, washed and drained
vegetable stock for boiling quinoa, around 700ml or as per packet instructions
2 teaspoons garam masala powder
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
200g mixed salad leaves
1 small red onion, finely sliced
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Lay the squash in the base of a baking tray, drizzle over 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over the za'atar. Mix together and roast for around 25 minutes or until the squash is soft.
In the meantime make the quinoa. Gently heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the quinoa. Toast for 1 minute before pouring in the vegetable stock and garam masala. Stir well and allow to cook until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is soft and plump.
Make the dressing by mixing together the remaining olive oil with the honey, mustard, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Once the quinoa is cooked, leave to cool slightly before transferring to a mixing bowl with the salad leaves, red onions and roasted squash.
Pour over the dressing and toss before piling high and serving as a delicious superfood salad.
