Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Recipe

By Genevieve

It's the second-last day of vegan Thanksgiving Week, and that means its time for the main course! I knew that I wanted to incorporate squash into my menu in some way, but instead of relegating it to a side dish, I wanted to give it more of a starring role in the meal.

I think it can be hard for people to come up with a main dish to serve vegetarians or vegans at Thanksgiving as an alternative to turkey... But for me, I'm not looking for a meat substitute in my Thanksgiving meal like Tofurky - I would rather just fill up with more vegetables! But to turn this into a dish that packs a bit more protein than just vegetables, I added quinoa to create a heartier salad full of seasonal ingredients - butternut squash, apples, shallots, pecans, cranberries and pumpkin seeds!

All of these ingredients came together really well to make a delicious and colourful dish! I loved how every bite had so much going on, but at the same time, all of the flavours and textures were perfectly balanced. I'm sure any vegetarians at your dinner table will be happy to eat this instead of turkey, and everyone else will probably want to try it too!

Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of peeled and diced butternut squash
• 3 tsp olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used the tricolour variety)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 2 small shallots, peeled and diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced peeled ginger
• 1 large apple, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare your squash and toss with 2 tsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes (or according to the package directions). Remove from heat and add the cranberries to the pot. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Place the pecans and pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the pan and add to the quinoa.

Add the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Then add the apple to the pan and cook for a few more minutes, until the apple just begins to soften. Remove from heat and add everything to the quinoa mixture, stirring to distribute all the ingredients.

Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir to incorporate. Finally, mix in the chopped parsley.

Serve warm or at room temperature. (This also stores well in the fridge if you want to make it ahead of time).

Makes 4 servings as a main course, or 6-8 servings as a side dish.

Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Recipe 2022-03-08T00:52:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Admin