Roasted Acorn Squash & Quinoa Salad
It’s game day in Raiderland! Three of Kenny’s best friends are in route to the LBK right now, and I’m so excited! I finally have guests for a game! The coaches’ wives have had so much fun at our tailgate this season. This week’s theme is Italian. I know, you’re probably thinking ‘Italian?! What the heck are you going to eat?’. Well, I’m bringing Italian sausage and peppers, so at least I know that I can eat something.
Anywho, on to this amazing salad that I made for you today. I have actually never cooked acorn squash before this recipe. I have had it at restaurants, but never cooked it myself. I have a giant list of fall recipes that I want to make soon, and a squash and arugula salad is at the top of that list. I have seen lots of variations all over Pinterest as well as the blogosphere, so I decided to come up with something using ingredients that I had on hand.
I just love the combination of acorn squash and arugula, the flavors go so well together. This salad is so simple, with only a few ingredients. A few things that I always have in my fridge or pantry are quinoa, almonds and goat cheese. So, a salad is born.
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash
- 8 cups of arugula
- 3/4 cups dry quinoa (uncooked)
- 1/2 roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Using a sharp knife, cut off the outside of the skin (or you could wait to take off the skin after roasting), then cut into 1/4-1/2 inch slices. They will look like half moons.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, toss with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with 1.5 cups of water, add salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover and bring to a boil, once boiling, turn heat down to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork once all of the water is dissolved.
- Assemble the salad by layering the arugula, then quinoa, squash, almonds and goat cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice, and enjoy!