Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
AuthorDesireeCategoryGluten Free, Main Meals, VegetablesDifficultyIntermediateThis salad is warming, hearty and nutritious! It makes a great main meal or as a side to go with soup or any protein. It takes a little time to prep but the results are well worth it! Serves 6 to 8.
Wash the quinoa thoroughly and strain.
In a medium size pot on medium to high heat, place a teaspoon of olive oil in the pot. Add the red onion, shallots, sea salt, oregano and nettle leaf. Sauté till onions are translucent.
Add the filtered water and washed quinoa to the pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer. Place the pot lid on top and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes turn off the heat and take the pot off the burner. Keep the lid on and let the quinoa finish cooking. After 15 minutes fluff the quinoa and place to the side.
While the quinoa is cooking, you can clean and roast your veggies. Try to chop all your veggies in uniform shapes so they can cook evenly. Chop the leek, potato and butternut squash. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, sprinkle paprika, sea salt and pepper over the vegetables and mix together.
Bake in a 400 degree oven. After 20 minutes, rotate the pan and mix the vegetables around so they cook and brown evenly. Bake until vegetables are light brown and toasted. Take out the oven and placed the roasted vegetables to the side.
To make the roasted beet, pierce the beet a few times with a knife and lightly coat the beet with olive oil. Make a packet with parchment paper or foil and place the beet inside. The packet will act like a steamer to cook the beet.
The beet can actually be cooked in the same oven with the other roasted vegetables. The packet can be put on the second rack or along side the pan with the roasted vegetables.
*I used my toaster oven.
Once a knife can be easily inserted into the beet the beet is finished cooking. After the beet cools a little bit, peel it and cube the beet. Place the beet to the side.
Clean and chop up a bunch of dandelion greens. In a pot on medium to high heat, add the greens, water, salt, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and nettle leaf. Once the greens start to boil turn the heat down so they can simmer for roughly 10 minutes. Take the greens off the heat and sit to the side.
*You want the greens to be soft but still maintain their green color, so not much cooking is needed.
Take a glass bowl and first place the quinoa mixture inside, then place the roasted vegetables and beets. Last but not least after the greens are cool, take the dandelion leaves and squeeze the moisture out of the greens with your hands and place the greens on top. Mix the salad together
The roasted vegetable quinoa salad is ready to serve!
The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. It can be eaten warm or cold.
I like to add slices of avocado to the salad. It adds a great creaminess and richness to the salad.
Other additions which can be added are:
Walnuts, slivered almonds or sunflower seeds for a crunch.
A little bit of feta or goat cheese. (Yum!)
Sprinkle of fresh herbs like parsley.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the quinoa thoroughly and strain.
In a medium size pot on medium to high heat, place a teaspoon of olive oil in the pot. Add the red onion, shallots, sea salt, oregano and nettle leaf. Sauté till onions are translucent.
Add the filtered water and washed quinoa to the pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer. Place the pot lid on top and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes turn off the heat and take the pot off the burner. Keep the lid on and let the quinoa finish cooking. After 15 minutes fluff the quinoa and place to the side.
While the quinoa is cooking, you can clean and roast your veggies. Try to chop all your veggies in uniform shapes so they can cook evenly. Chop the leek, potato and butternut squash. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, sprinkle paprika, sea salt and pepper over the vegetables and mix together.
Bake in a 400 degree oven. After 20 minutes, rotate the pan and mix the vegetables around so they cook and brown evenly. Bake until vegetables are light brown and toasted. Take out the oven and placed the roasted vegetables to the side.
To make the roasted beet, pierce the beet a few times with a knife and lightly coat the beet with olive oil. Make a packet with parchment paper or foil and place the beet inside. The packet will act like a steamer to cook the beet.
The beet can actually be cooked in the same oven with the other roasted vegetables. The packet can be put on the second rack or along side the pan with the roasted vegetables.
*I used my toaster oven.
Once a knife can be easily inserted into the beet the beet is finished cooking. After the beet cools a little bit, peel it and cube the beet. Place the beet to the side.
Clean and chop up a bunch of dandelion greens. In a pot on medium to high heat, add the greens, water, salt, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and nettle leaf. Once the greens start to boil turn the heat down so they can simmer for roughly 10 minutes. Take the greens off the heat and sit to the side.
*You want the greens to be soft but still maintain their green color, so not much cooking is needed.
Take a glass bowl and first place the quinoa mixture inside, then place the roasted vegetables and beets. Last but not least after the greens are cool, take the dandelion leaves and squeeze the moisture out of the greens with your hands and place the greens on top. Mix the salad together
The roasted vegetable quinoa salad is ready to serve!
The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. It can be eaten warm or cold.
I like to add slices of avocado to the salad. It adds a great creaminess and richness to the salad.
Other additions which can be added are:
Walnuts, slivered almonds or sunflower seeds for a crunch.
A little bit of feta or goat cheese. (Yum!)
Sprinkle of fresh herbs like parsley.
