Quinoa Salad with Squash, Caramelised Onion and Hazelnuts

(serves 4)

So i've noticed this new trend of adding toasted nuts with Modern Australian salads, and i've decided i like it. It's a great way to include protein into a light meal and adds a bit of depth and crunch to the dish! 

Although i generally follow the line of the thinking that salads are more of a side than a main course, this is one salad that is very substantial! I think the key to making a somewhat spectacular salad is to have a nice array of colours and textures, with each ingredient seasoned to bring out its natural flavour and complement the others, so that's what i've tried to do with this recipe. It's a fairly sweet dish with the char-grilled capsicum, caramelised onion and natural sweetness of roasted pumpkin, but the lime mustard dressing adds a nice refreshing undertone! 

Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 45 min 


Ingredients:
1 large butternut pumpkin (or 2 small ones)

2 squash
1 red capsicum
1 spanish onion
100g mixed lettuce leaves
handful of roasted hazelnuts
1 C quinoa
3 C water
10g butter
1 tsp thyme
1 clove garlic
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper


Dressing:
Juice and rind of 2 limes
2 tsp seeded mustard
1-2 tsp brown sugar


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Prepare a tray lined with foil. 
2. Peel the pumpkin and de-seed with a spoon. 
NB. Carve out slightly extra from the inside of the pumpkin when scraping the seeds so you don't get soggy bits when roasting.

3. Cut the pumpkin into 2cm x 2cm cubes. Spray oil on the foil-lined tray and put pumpkin on tray, leaving space to allow it to crisp as it roasts. Leave in oven for 40-45 minutes, flipping after 20-25min.
4. To prepare the char-grilled capsicum: wash and dry the capsicum, cut off the stem then cut it in half and de-seed it. Place under the grill on high heat for approx 10 minutes until char-grilled (mostly black) on top. Remove from the grill and place in a covered takeaway box for 5 minutes.
5. To prepare the caramelised onion: Finely slice the spanish onion. Heat a pan on medium heat, add 1/2 T olive oil then add the spanish onion and cook until brown and softened. Add 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar and continue to cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes.
6. To prepare the squash: Cut the ends off the squash, then cut into small bite-size pieces. Cut the garlic into thin slices. Heat a pan with the butter, then add the garlic, thyme and the squash and cook for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Cook 1C quinoa with 3C water for 15 minutes, taking it off the heat when the water has been fully absorbed and let it sit for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by putting together the rind and juice of the lime, sugar and mustard.
9. Dress the quinoa and the salad leaves first, then add in the pumpkin, capsicum, squash and caramelised onion and toss through.
10. Serve with roasted hazelnuts on top!