Fall Colors

Fall quinoa salad with kabocha squash, beets, and fresh apple.
Fall quinoa salad with kabocha squash, beets, and fresh apple.

One advantage of having whole grains and veggies prepped for the week is that lunch is a bit more exciting than the usual turkey sandwich (or peanut butter and jelly if you are a lazy daisy like me). We have kabocha squash on hand from our garden right now so I've been roasting it with a little olive oil and popping it into meals- we made enchiladas stuffed with mashed-roasted kabocha last weekend. Roasted kabocha also makes a great addition to a picnic salad like this.  The squash is nutty and soft, which works really well with sweet roasted beets and tangy fresh apple.  I think it would be delicious with figs too now that they are in season. To make yourself a "Rainbow Bowl" follow the recipe below.

Fall quinoa salad with kabocha squash, beets, and fresh apple.
Fall quinoa salad with kabocha squash, beets, and fresh apple.

Rainbow Bowl 

makes 2-4 servings

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 small kabocha squash, cleaned and cut into 1" cubes

1 large red beet, skin removed, cut into 1" cubes 

1 apple (pink lady, fuji or granny), chopped

1 avocado, sliced

1 lemon

1 tsp ginger,minced

1 clove garlic, minced 

2 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil

1 tbsp ponzu sauce (or soy sauce + rice wine vinegar)

sea salt and pepper

cilantro for garnish

To roast the beets and squash:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Toss the beets and squash in 1 tbsp olive oil sprinkle with sea salt and roast on a sheet pan for 15 minutes, until soft at the center, but not browned.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 

To make the dressing:

Juice the lemon and whisk with ginger, garlic, 1 tbsp oil, ponzu, and salt and pepper to taste.  

Toss quinoa, roasted vegetables and apples together with dressing in a large bowl. Portion out and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.   

If you don't have a ton of extra time for food prep, you can substitute butternut squash available pre-cut at Whole Foods and Trader Joes- they also sell roasted beets, and you can always use a store bought dressing.