Warm Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash

Ok, here's the last of the butternut squash recipes...for this week. I was going to try and do something different for next week (acorn squash anyone?), but it turns out the recipe for next week's Barefoot Bloggers has...you guessed it! Maybe the following week I will mix it up. Until then, enjoy this one. One night last week I couldn't sleep because this recipe was running through my head. I finally got around to making it and it was actually as good as what I dreamed it would be. To mellow out the taste of the sage and garlic, I heated them in a bit of olive oil which I then used for the dressing, hence making this a warm salad. This is definitely going to be on my rotation of work lunches this fall.


Warm Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
(By Esi)

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 orange, juiced
Cumin, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the squash with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread onto a foil covered baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, turn and bake for an additional 15 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup lightly salted water and 1/2 cup quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.

In a separate saute pan heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sage and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is soft, but not browned. Add the orange juice, cumin, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss the orange juice mixture with the quinoa. Add the butternut squash and toss to combine. Serve warm, garnished with sage leaves if desired.