Serve up a fresh winter salad, with all the goodness you need from this perfectly balanced selection of superfoods.  Possibly the best quinoa salad recipe you have had, features charred sweet potato and zucchini , on a bed of fresh baby endives and brown lentils for that added satiety factor.  A healthy light lemon and tahini vinaigrette dressing coats this salad.

Curly endives always feature in my autumn and winter vegetable garden.  They are super-sweet when picked young and loaded with vitamins, minerals , fibre and also contains flavonoids such as  kaempferol. It is certainly a vegetable to start adding into your dishes.

Sweet potatoes and zucchini are baked and charred to soften and sweeten.

The tahini dressing is creamy and savoury and possibly will become the basis for all your salad dressings once tried.

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, also highly nutritious.  A small amount of this butter goes a long way to form rich creamy subtle undertones in your salad.

 

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato cut into 1 x 2 cm cubes.

1 medium zucchini cut into 1 x 2 cm cubes.

1 tspn sweet paprika

1 tspn ground cumin

1 tbspn olive oil

1 bunch ( 1/4 cup ) flat leafed parsley

1 bunch ( 1/4 cup ) mint

1 small bunch fresh baby endives

1 cup cooked tri-colour quinoa follow pack instructions for cooking

1 cup tinned and well rinsed organic brown lentils

1 fresh Spanish onion bulb or shallot

1 small Spanish Onion finely chopped

Tahini Vinaigrette Dressing

50ml olive oil

2 tbspns tahini paste

50ml lemon juice

Method

Steam sweet potatoes till soft but firm.

In a baking dish, add the steamed sweet potatoes and zucchini.  Lightly Spray with olive oil or measure out 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rub onto the vegetables.  Coat with the paprika and coriander.  Grill for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Set aside.

Cook the quinoa as per the pack instructions.  Allow to cool.

This salad uses tinned organic brown lentils for ease of use.  You can always boil dried brown lentils.  If you do, try not to overcook.  They should be firm.

Roughly chop the endives.  Finely chop the herbs.

To make the vinegrette tahini dressing, use a small wisk to mix through all the ingredients for the vinaigrette.  If its is a little too thick, squeeze a little extra juice.  Adjust the proportion of lemon and olive oil to suit your taste.

In a large serving bowl, add the quinoa, vegetables, lentils, herbs and onions.  Toss till ingredients are evenly distributed.   Chill if you prefer to have cold.  Then when your ready to eat drizzle the dressing.

Serve.

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