Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Last week my Mountain Bounty Farm CSA box was full of deliciousness. Since I’m trying to eat super healthy (cue post from yesterday) I decided to make a quinoa salad with veggies. I found a recipe similar to the one I made via the whole foods app. If you don’t have this app you need to download it today. You can search recipes by ingredients, create shopping lists and book mark favorites.

Serves 6 to 8

Roasted root veggies, including carrots, rutabaga and beets combine with nutty, protein-rich quinoa in this simple side dish or vegetarian main course. You can prepare this ahead and freeze the vegetables and quinoa separately, easily tossing together before serving.

Ingredients

6 red or yellow small beets

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper to taste

3 carrots, chopped

1 Rutabaga, chopped (or parsnips)

1 cup uncooked quinoa

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cups gluten-free vegetable stock or water

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub beets all over with 1 teaspoon of the oil, then season liberally with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil, place on a small baking sheet and roast for about 1 hour, until beets are tender. Allow beets to cool and then peel and chop them. Meanwhile, toss carrots and rutabaga in remaining 3 teaspoons oil, season with salt and pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Put quinoa, lemon juice, stock or water and thyme into a small pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool to room temperature.

Put quinoa, roasted carrots and rutabaga into a large bowl and toss to combine. Add beets, onions, parsley, salt and pepper, mix well and serve.

Linked to: 33 Shades of Green