This salad is everything. It has everything. It can be anything. I’m getting really meta about this salad. This roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad sounds extra fancy 
and uber healthy but most importantly it is RIDICULOUSLY delicious. Like I said it has everything: crunch from the roasted squash seed, sweetness from the dates and roasted apples, tanginess from the spicy vinaigrette, creaminess from the roasted squash and sweet potato. I don’t see NOTHING wrong with that!!! 
I went to Costco over the weekend. One, because it is holiday baking season. Two, because I really do need 20 lbs of flour and 10 lbs of butter. I usually get frozen vegetable and fruits in bulk. Costco has the best deals on organic fruits and vegetables where I live. So I came across the food demonstrator with frozen quinoa and kale. I think she saw that I was going to turn around and bolt. So she said, “I dare ya”. I tried it, mostly because I can resist a dare and I’m not scared of quinoa. Pshhhhhhhhh!
To my surprise, it was really good. The kale wasn’t too kale-like and the quinoa wasn’t too quinoa-like. Everything was just right. I bought 2 packs. It is now on my staples list for Costco. Plus I have a confession: I hate cooking quinoa. I don’t know why but if is one of those things that I’m like… mheeeee I’ll pass. But now I can eat all the quinoa my little heart desires. I love short cuts in dinner because all my time is spent baking. priorities are in order and all. It is November and December, everyone does it. I’m about 99.7 % sure.
Roasted Vegetable are amazing. It is as if the vegetables decided to become something else during the roasting process. They are more flavorful and sometimes a different texture. AWESOMENESS. I absolutely love butternut squash. When it is roasted, I could eat a whole squash. (Shhhh I might have had some weird pregnancy cravings with Jocelyn.) I also have a weakness for sweet potato. It is sweet, hearty, creamy and nutritious. What more can I ask for in a vegetable? All three of the kids love it, which makes it a SUPERfood in my book.
Jocelyn is going through a phase where she only eats colorful foods. So like a little foodie, she sits before her dinner and she examines the color, the smell and the texture of her dinner. I couldn’t make this stuff up. Yup, I have a 17-month-old food critic living in my house. And because I am at her mercy, I have been cooking with even more colors and she loves it. We all had this salad for dinner and she finished it all. None was present on the floor. If my 17-month-old thought this roasted butternut squash quinoa salad was yummy then the whole world should agree. 
Truthfully, no food critic can be as harsh as a hungry toddler. Plates will literally fly. You can take that to the bank. Two things will happen if a toddler is having dinner: either the food is consumed or it ends up on the floor. I won this battle.
I am in love with this lemon vinaigrette. And because we have been eating a ton of salads, I’ve been making it by the truck-load. Supply and demand works like that after all. My economics teacher would be so happy that I’m thinking about economics while making salad dressing. But I digress,
This isn’t the weeknight sale that you mom forced, I mean strongly suggested that you finish off. This is the game changer in my house. And the lemon mustard vinaigrette takes everything to another level. like for real, for real. 
Be a salad hero and make it today!
Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- Garlic Lemon-Mustard Dressing
- 2 roasted garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 packet of quinoa and kale
- 1 gala apple
- 4 pitted dates
- 1 scallion
- 1 sprig sage
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take squash seeds from center of squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. coat with oil and roast until squash seeds are golden brown.
- Cut Apple, Squash and sweet potato into 1-inch cubes. Coat with coconut oil and sprinkle with chopped sage, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 mins. Until fork tender.
- In a skillet. Cook Quinoa to directions. add cut up scallions.
- Add roasted vegetables and apple. toss to combine. Dress with garlic lemon-mustard dressing. add roasted squash seeds.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!