Roasted Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Quinoa

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Butternut squash: Choose a small squash that’s around 2 pounds. If you want a shortcut, you can buy peeled and cubed butternut squash. Also, you can substitute with sweet potatoes. 
• Cauliflower: Look for a head of cauliflower that doesn’t have any dark spots. When you pick it up, it should feel heavy for its size. Instead of breaking it into florets, I slice it. Then those flat sides make direct contact with the hot pan and brown.
• Dried spices: I season the vegetables with cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, pinches of cinnamon and ground ginger plus kosher salt and black pepper. This is why the ingredient list may look long, but it’s really. Also, you might already have most of these in your pantry.
• Quinoa: I used a blend of white, red and black quinoa, but a single color is perfectly fine if that’s what you have in your pantry. The quinoa simmers in water.
• Chickpeas: The recipe calls for a can of chickpeas. I keep it simple and toss them in with the rest of the ingredients, not bothering to roast them.
• Raisins add a touch of something sweet while balancing with the rest of the savory flavors. The warmth from the roasted vegetables and quinoa will soften the raisins and plump them up. You can substitute with dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots. 
• Pistachios: You can use unsalted or lightly salted roasted pistachios. Either chopped walnuts or almonds are good substitutes.
• Red onions: For a fresh and sharp accent, I include finely diced red onions. You can substitute with thinly sliced scallions.
• Parsley is my finishing touch of chopped fresh herbs. 
• Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.

How To Make This Roasted Butternut & Squash Cauliflower Quinoa

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Prep the vegetables. Whisk the oil, cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss the butternut squash and cauliflower with the spiced oil in a big bowl. Then spread them in a single layer across a sheet pan.

2. Roast the squash and cauliflower. Give them 30-35 minutes. I flip over the veggies about 20 minutes into roasting. This is most important for the cauliflower.

3. Make the quinoa. Do this while the butternut squash and cauliflower are in the oven. Combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. The water should absorb, and the grains should be tender in 11-12 minutes. Let the quinoa sit covered for 5 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork.

4. Combine the ingredients. Gently fold together the quinoa, roasted squash and cauliflower, chickpeas, pistachios, raisins, red onions and parsley.

Leftovers and Storage

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 4 days. They are easy to warm up in the microwave. I will also eat them cold and add greens to stretch leftovers into a salad.