Recipe: Italian Quinoa Salad with Grilled Pumpkin and Broccoli

  Italian Quinoa Salad with Grilled Pumpkin and Broccoli (Serves 6-8)

As the weather warms up to spring time and more and more produce becomes available its time to crack out the salad recipes. I have enjoyed the soups and casseroles of the winter but one thing I have really missed is crunchy, filling salads packed with freshness and nutrients. This salad is one of my favorites as its simple to whip up and great for picnics and bbqs. It also has tonnes of plant based protein from almonds and quinoa.

Ingredients

1-2 cups dry quinoa
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup tomato puree
Liberal amounts of rubbed basil and oregano
1/2 small butternut squash chopped into large bite sized chunks
1/2 small broccoli broken into large bite sized chunks
1/2 tbsp olive oil (cooking)
2/3 cup activated almonds or lightly roasted walnuts
1 tbsp olive oil for mixing

Roasted Vegetables

Line a large oven tray with baking paper and preheat the oven 180 degrees celsius while preparing the broccoli and squash by cutting them into bite sized chunks. Spread the vegetables across the tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes and remove to cool.

Quinoa

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and wash rigorously in order to remove the outer bitter coating. After this, place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water for every cup of quinoa along with the garlic, tomato puree and herbs, boiling (while mixing intermittently) for 30 minutes or until the quinoa grains are fully transparent. Remove the quinoa from the heat and sit until cool.

Salad

Mix the quinoa with roasted vegetables, activated almonds and olive oil. Serve in large portions as a main or as a side salad. Enjoy.