Yield: Serves 8-10  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 50 minutes   Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 cup butternut squash, peeled, and chopped into ½ inch cubes

Organic olive, coconut, or canola oil

Chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning squash

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

Pinch of salt

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 cup scallions, diced

Citrus Maple Dressing: 

Juice of 2 large oranges and 2 lemons

Zest of 1 large orange and 1 lemon

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Using a medium saucepan, toast almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries in separate batches on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. You can use a dash of oil or cooking spray to prevent burning. Remove from heat and keep in pan to let remaining seeds heat and pop. Using the same saucepan, heat 1 TBSP canola oil and sauté butternut squash for 7-8 minutes. You can also roast butternut squash cubes in the oven on a baking sheet with cooking spray for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cook the quinoa. Remember to toast the quinoa first with a small amount of oil for 10 minutes and stir constantly. Add toasted quinoa, broth, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool to room temperature completely.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa with all other ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing by mixing orange juice, zest, olive oil, maple syrup, and honey. Drizzle over entire quinoa salad. Serve as a side dish or over raw spinach or arugula and top with grilled chicken or turkey breast. Season with salt and pepper to taste.