Quinoa Harvest Salad

Name: Quinoa Harvest Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked quinoa (cooked per instructions (can use red, white, black or mixed)); 4 tbsp olive oil ((divided - 2 tablespoons for roasting butternut squash and apples and 2 tablespoons for making the dressing)); 1.5 cups butternut squash (chopped into cubes (1/2 butternut squash)); 1 tsp turmeric (dried ground (divided – ½ tsp for roasting butternut squash and apples and ½ tsp for making the dressing)); 1 tsp cinnamon (dried ground (divided – ½ tsp for roasting butternut squash and apples and ½ tsp for making the dressing)); 1 tsp cumin (dried ground (divided – ½ tsp for roasting butternut squash and apples and ½ tsp for making the dressing)); 2 large apples (chopped (gala, fuji, granny smith or any firm apple works well)); 1.5 cups spinach (chopped); 1/3 cup dried cranberries; 1/3 cup easy roasted pepitas; 3 tbsp lemon juice; salt and pepper (to taste)

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Quinoa Harvest Salad with roasted butternut squash and apples tossed in red quinoa, spinach, dried cranberries, easy roasted pepitas with a spiced warming autumn dressing.

Quinoa Harvest Salad in a black bowl with apples and butternut squash in the background.

12 Fabulous Reasons to Love Our Quinoa Harvest Salad

Fantastic Thanksgiving, autumn or winter vegan side fall quinoa salad
Best Thanksgiving recovery salad for getting out of those fat pants!
Nourishing, just what your body is craving.
Incorporates in season Harvest fruits and vegetables. “Fruits and vegetables that grow together- belong together in a recipe and are budget friendly.” This is a quote from our late father. What do you think?
Gluten-free
Vegan
Hearty, filling and crunchy texture from the roasted pepitas.
Filled with Warming spices like turmeric, cinnamon and cumin.
Spleen qi loving salad with warming and nourishing vegetables, grains and spices. This quinoa vegetable salad is best served warm or at room temperature. Warm salads are perfect for the cooler weather. In addition, our spleens dislike cold foods. To learn more about the role of your spleen and it’s dietary needs, be sure to read our article, “Feed Your Spleen; Nourish your Body”.
According to Harvard School of Public Health, one cup of quinoa is packed with 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber and is a complete protein.
Includes anti-inflammatory turmeric, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and apples.
Butternut squash quinoa salad is easy to make ahead and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Fabulous for lunches, weekday dinners or even your holiday meal plan.
Great dish to pass

Roasted pepitas in a beige bowl. — Easy Roasted Pepitas (AKA Pumpkin Seeds)

We bet you can’t stop at just one bite. Imagine this powerful bite landing on your taste buds:

Roasted butternut squash quinoa salad has the crunch of the roasted pepitas, sweetness of the gala apples and dried cranberries, nuttiness of the quinoa, fresh spinach, warming spices and a pop of fresh lemon from the dressing. We bet this one bite will have you craving for more.

Bite shot of the delicious fall salad. Bright with turmeric and vegetables.

Feed Your Body What it is Craving

Have you ever found the perfect recipe for what your inner body craves? I am not talking about chocolate or a glass of wine, although that would be quite nice. I am referring to nourishing your inner body and soul with what it “really” needs. This delicious warm quinoa salad with roasted vegetables has lots of spices to warm your heart, strengthen your inner soul and to keep your qi flowing smoothly.

Top down shot of beautiful turmeric golden quinoa salad in a black plate.

Nourish your Body with Spleen Qi Warming Foods

During the change of seasons and if your body is out of balance, it is more prone to health issues. According to NIH, they suggest strengthening your Spleen Qi by eliminating hard-to-digest foods like raw or cold foods while simultaneously eating more foods that tonify the Spleen like warming vegetables, proteins, spices and grains. Butternut squash, quinoa, cinnamon and turmeric are all warming foods according to Eastern Medicine. In our article, Introducing the Five Energies of Foods, you can learn about cold, hot, warm, cool and neutral properties of food.

Whole butternut squash on a wooden table.

Why your Spleen Qi Dislikes Cold Foods

According to Eastern Medicine, if you eat lots of raw or cold foods, your spleen cannot work as effectively to get that nourishment out of the food and into a product that can nourish your body. If your body is already compromised, it has to spend extra energy warming up the food that you just ate to get nourishment from it. Now, you are in a vicious cycle. Break this cycle by eating easy to digest warm foods like soups, stews and warm grains, vegetables and read our Feed Your Spleen; Nourish Your Body article. Our easy Quinoa Harvest Salad is the perfect spleen qi loving salad.

Ingredients to make the salad on a wooden table.

Fall Quinoa Salad Ingredients

Quinoa – We used red quinoa. However, you can also use white, black or mixed. If desired, you can also exchange quinoa with brown rice.
Butternut squash – naturally sweet and delicious when roasted. Feel free to substitute with kabocha, acorn or even pumpkin.
Apples – Gala apples were used for this recipe. The goal is to just lightly roast. You want them still slightly crisp but sweeter from the roasting process. Other firmer apples like granny smith, fuji or honey crisp also work well in our quinoa harvest salad.
Fresh chopped spinach – we add this to the hot quinoa, butternut squash and apples and it slightly wilts for the perfect warm salad. Feel free to use other greens like kale, swiss chard or other greens of choice.
Dried cranberries – These are so good in the recipe and bring a sweet and sour addition to this warmed harvest festive salad.
Easy roasted pepitas (AKA pumpkin seeds) – roasting the pumpkin seeds in the oven and salting lightly add that delicious crunch to this salad. Feel free to add any toasted nuts or seeds as desired. Pecans, almonds and sunflower seeds are all delicious.
Warming spices – cinnamon, cumin and turmeric bring a whole new dimension of flavor to this fall harvest quinoa salad.
Lemon juice – in the dressingbrightens this recipe right up. We also suggest you place just a little on the apples after slicing and right before baking so they do not oxidize.
EVOO – extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

3 cups of cooked red quinoa in a wooden bowl.

How to Cook Quinoa

Did you know that quinoa is actually a seed, even though it is sometimes referred to as an ancient grain? It is naturally gluten-free. There are many different types of quinoa such as white, red and black. We choose to use red quinoa for our quinoa harvest salad as that is what was on sale. (smiling) One very important thing to note is that quinoa has a natural coating of saponin. This a chemical that helps repel microbes while the seed of quinoa is in its growing stage and it must be washed off BEFORE cooking or it can cause gastrointestinal distress.

Step 1 – wash the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer really well until it runs clear. We use agitation and rub the seeds between our fingers under the water for at least 5 minutes. Quinoa seeds are really small. We use a rice strainer for this, and it works quite well. (There is nothing more frustrating than using a regular strainer and then having to manually pluck out the grains of quinoa out with a knife.) Been there- Done That!

Step 2 – read your package directions as these are golden rule. We used Simple Truth Organic Red Quinoa and cooked according to the package directions. The water to grain ratio is 2 cups water to 1 cup dried quinoa.

Step 3 – Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. This quinoa recipe yielded 3 cups of cooked quinoa. When the quinoa is cooked perfectly, it will be tender, and you can see these tiny spirals separating and curling around the quinoa seeds.

Step by Step how to cut and dice a butternut squash.

How to Chop a Butternut Squash Safely?

This butternut squash and apple salad only uses one half of a butternut squash. If you are looking for other delicious recipes to use the other half, be sure to try our Roasted Butternut and Carrot Ginger Soup, Butternut Squash Vegetarian Lasagna and Spicy Rosemary Butternut Squash.

Guess what? It is best to keep all 10 fingers! If the thought of chopping up a butternut squash causes anxiety, you can buy pre-cut butternut squash at the market or use frozen chopped butternut squash for this recipe instead.

Using your sharpest knife, cut your butternut squash in half, lengthwise. We used a clever. Did you know that a dull knife is twice is likely to cause injury than a sharp knife? Only use your hands-on top of the knife. Keep your hands off the actual squash. Sometimes, it is helpful to put the edge of the knife into the squash. Then, bang the squash down on to the cutting board to cut all the way through.

Use a spoon and scoop and discard the seeds.

We use a peeler to peel the butternut squash.

Place the flat cut side of the butternut squash on the board. Cut the squash into slices and then into long slices. Finally, cut into cubes. Please check out our video in the recipe card for a demonstration.

How to Make Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water.
Roast your butternut squash and apples with the warming spices
Make your spiced salad dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, turmeric, cumin and cinnamon.
Prepare easy roasted pepitas
While everything is still warm, toss together roasted butternut squash and apples, cooked quinoa, chopped spinach, spiced salad dressing, dried cranberries. Sprinkle on or toss in easy roasted pepitas when ready to serve.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

What is the ratio of water to quinoa?

2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dried quinoa

Do I need to rinse quinoa before cooking?

You need to rinse quinoa until the water runs clear because quinoa contains a natural coating of saponin. This a chemical that helps repel microbes while the seed of quinoa is in its growing stage and it can cause diarrhea and a stomachache if not removed.

How many days can you store prepare Quinoa Harvest Salad in the refrigerator?

3 days in the refrigerator or can be frozen up to 2 months in a freezer.

What to Serve with Quinoa Salad?

This is a fantastic Thanksgiving side dish. Be sure to try with our Roasted Turmeric Spiced Turkey Breast.

We always like something naturally sweet with our pork. How about you? Be sure to try our quinoa salad along with our Rosemary Herbed Pork Chops with Shallot Wine Sauce.

We enjoy our Quinoa Harvest Salad for easy make ahead lunches and as a healthy alternative breakfast option too.