Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
- Line baking pan with silicone baking sheet or unbleached parchment paper.
Dressing:
- Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Roast Squash:
- Wash, peel, and dice the butternut squash into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil, salt and pepper to squash, and gently toss to coat evenly.
- Place the squash onto the baking pan, and place into the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until squash is tender and a roasted golden brown on the outside.
Cook Quinoa:
- While squash is in the oven, prepare the quinoa. Combine quinoa and water in the medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cover and let quinoa simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Roast Cranberries:
- While squash is cooking and quinoa is simmering, in a medium mixing bowl, add the onions, cranberries, and maple syrup. Gently stir until well combined.
- Place the cranberry mixture onto the baking pan and place in the oven, alongside the squash, for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the onions are browning and the cranberries are soft and bursting.
Put Salad Together:
- Once the quinoa is cooked, transfer to the large wooden serving bowl.
- Once the squash, cranberries, and onions have cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Add the dried sage, and 1/2 of the salad dressing to the quinoa. Gently toss to combine.
- Add the roasted squash, cranberries, and onions, along with the remainder of the dressing. Gently combine all of the ingredients.
- Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Optional: Top the quinoa cranberry salad with a handful of crushed pecans or walnuts and vegan cheese if desired.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- This Quinoa Cranberry Salad can be made as a salad that includes a delicious fresh bed of leafy greens, or it can be made as a side dish to accompany any kind of main protein dish.
- This salad would be a wonderful side dish for your holiday Thanksgiving dinner. You can use it as a replacement for stuffing, or include both, this quinoa salad and stuffing, you decide!
- The seasoning for the dressing can be any dried herbs you desire. I use oregano and thyme but you can also use parsley, dill, Italian seasoning, and more.
- The quinoa in this recipe can be white, red, black, or mixed, whichever you prefer. I often use a blend of quinoa to get the most nutrients.
- When you are roasting the butternut squash and cranberry onion mixture, place the squash on the lower rack of the oven, and the cranberries on the upper. Watch closely to prevent burning. You may want to switch these around for several minutes as well.
- The cranberry onion mixture will roast quicker than the squash, so prepare the squash and place it in the oven. Next, prepare the quinoa on the stove. While the quinoa is heating up you can work on the cranberry mixture and then place that in the oven as well. I have found this is the best way for all ingredients to cook and be ready at about the same time.
- Adding the pecans, or walnuts, and the cheese is a lovely addition but not absolutely necessary. That said, it might be a nice small decadent touch to add to this recipe for the holidays.