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.