Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash and Beets with Quinoa
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 pound beets
1 medium kohlrabi or a few small turnips
2 small onions
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 large bunch kale, chard, or beet greens
3 cups cooked quinoa
canola oil (for roasting)
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
pepper
feta or goat cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop the butternut squash, beets, kohlrabi/turnips, and onions into 3/4″ pieces, and spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with a little canola oil, salt, and pepper. Place on the top rack in the oven. Check on the vegetables every 5 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally to prevent sticking.
Roast until nearly tender. Add chopped scallions and continue roasting a few more minutes. Once everything is tender (the beets take the longest), remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
While the vegetables are roasting, mince the garlic, and chop the kale (or other greens) into thin strips. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the garlic briefly. Sautee the greens over medium heat, stirring/tossing every few minutes to distribute the heat evenly. Keep cooking until the kale wilts down and softens. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, mix the cooked quinoa with the garlicky greens and the roasted vegetables. Toss with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Add a little crumbled feta or goat cheese.
Notes:
It’s really easy to adapt this recipe, depending on what you have on hand. Try including other roasted root vegetables, shredded carrots, apples (shredded or chopped), walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, or dried cranberries. Butternut squash works well, but you could use any variety of winter squash you happen to have.
For a little added protein and flavor, we like to add an egg or two to the sauteed greens. When the greens are nearly finished cooking, turn up the heat a little and crack an egg into the pan. Wait about 30 seconds, and then quickly mix the egg into the greens. It will cook almost immediately.
For a different spin, we sometimes substitute sesame oil and tamari for the olive oil and balsamic.
This recipe is delicious at any temperature!
