CALIFORNIA QUINOA & AVOCADO SALAD

California quinoa & avocado salad image

The tahini and avocado combo in this dressing is totally addictive. If you have ripe avocados to use up, this is a winning recipe

Provided by Cassie Best

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

250g butternut squash , chopped into small chunks
2 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
120g pack thin-stemmed broccoli , cut into small pieces
250g pouch cooked quinoa
small handful coriander , leaves picked and chopped
small handful mint , leaves picked and chopped
4 spring onions , finely sliced on an angle
50g pomegranate seeds
20g pistachios , roughly chopped
1 small ripe avocado
juice ½ lemon
handful sprouts (alfalfa or china rose sprouts are nice) or baby herb leaves
1 tbsp tahini
½ small ripe avocado , stoned, peeled and roughly chopped
small handful coriander , leaves picked
small handful mint , leaves picked
zest and juice ½ lemon
2 tsp clear honey or maple syrup

Steps:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment. Tip the butternut squash onto the tray, drizzle with 2 tsp oil and season well. Roast for 20 mins, then push the squash to one end of the tray, add the broccoli to the other end and drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Season and roast for 10 mins more.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor, add 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt. Blitz to make a loose dressing, adding a little more water if necessary.
Squeeze the pouch of quinoa to separate the grains, then tip into a large bowl. Add the herbs, spring onions, pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, season and toss everything together. Add the roasted veg too.
Divide the salad between two plates and drizzle over the dressing. Halve the avocado and remove the stone, then slide a dessertspoon between the skin and flesh to remove it in one piece. Place on a chopping board, rounded side up, and thinly slice. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then slide a knife underneath and lift half the avocado onto each salad. Top with the sprouts and grind over a little pepper, if you like.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 740 calories, Fat 44 grams fat, SaturatedFat 6 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 59 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 17 grams sugar, Fiber 17 grams fiber, Protein 18 grams protein, Sodium 0.9 milligram of sodium