It may seem like not-so-healthy foods are the only items that get to have fun in autumn. You’ll see thousands of recipes for pumpkin cupcakes and candy corn cookies, but what if you want to have some festive fall flavor and still stick to healthy eating? Lucky for you, so many of the flavors of fall are also healthy superfoods. Stock your autumn kitchen with sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cranberries, and nuts, and you can enjoy the taste of the harvest while still staying on track.
This quinoa salad is a great option to serve at your upcoming fall get-together. Whole grain, protein-packed quinoa serves as a base for this sweet-and-savory salad that can be served warm or cold.
Roasted Fall Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Ingredients (Salad)
2
cups chicken or vegetable broth
1
cup quinoa
2
large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2
large apples, cored and diced
1
large onion, chopped and diced
2
cloves garlic, minced
1/2
t ground cinnamon
1/2
t salt
1/4
t black pepper
1/4
t olive oil
1/2
cup dried cranberries
1/2
cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Ingredients (Dressing)
2
T olive oil
1
T apple cider vinegar
1
T lemon juice
1
T maple syrup
1
T spicy brown mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
Steps
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Bring broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Add in the quinoa, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Toss together the sweet potatoes, apples, onions, and garlic. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pour over sweet potato mixture and toss to coat. Spread out mixture in one layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until all veggies are tender.
- To prepare the dressing, whisk together all ingredients until well-combined.
- To assemble the salad, toss together the quinoa, roasted veggies, cranberries, walnuts, and dressing until well-combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold or heat up and serve warm for a more intense flavor.
Per serving:
340 calories, 13.2g fat, 48.8g carbs, 9g protein
