Here’s a wonderful winter “comfort” food recipe that we love as a hearty lunch or light dinner: Warm Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad.
We’ve called out both butternut squash and quinoa as superfoods for your health, which is why we love this recipe that combines both of them plus spinach and walnuts.
This recipe is from Cindy Fanning, of Pick Fresh Foods blog, which features wholesome, nutritious recipes. Fanning has an undergraduate degree in nutrition and her posts promote sustainability, especially buying locally whenever possible.
Cindy Fanning from Pick Fresh Foods
Warm Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
This warm salad is high in vitamins A and folate, has about 8 grams of protein per serving, and the walnuts provide a nice source of omega 3 fatty acids.
Serves 4
1 cup roasted butternut squash (roasted with about 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper)
1 cup red quinoa (white is okay to use if red is unavailable)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 small lime, juiced
2 oz walnuts (about ½ cup), chopped (for a nuttier flavor, toast the walnuts before chopping)
Directions
Bring 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of vegetable broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked and broth is absorbed.
In the last 2-3 minutes of the quinoa cooking time, add the spinach on top of the quinoa and recover.
Combine quinoa, spinach, and butternut squash in a large bowl.
Juice the lime over the salad, toss to combine.
Top with walnuts and serve warm.
