This recipe is another recipe that is easy to customize to what you prefer to eat or to what you already have on hand. For that reason, I love it and find myself making variations of it every few weeks depending on what I have in the refrigerator and/or what is available at the market.
Warm Quinoa and Vegetable Salad
- -1 bulb roasted butternut squash, thinly cubed
- -1 small head broccoli florets, chopped
- -1 stem broccoli, peeled and chopped
- -1 small yellow onion, chopped
- -3 stalks celery, chopped
- -Small handful parsley, chopped
- -2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- -1 10-ounce package halloumi cheese, sliced into small (approx. ¼-inch) rectangles
- -4 leaves fresh sage, thinly sliced
- -2 cups quinoa, uncooked
- -4 cups water
- -2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more to drizzle over top
- -1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 1 tablespoon and ½ tablespoon
- -Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
Cook the quinoa:
Combine the quinoa and water in a medium-sized lidded saucepan. Add a pinch of salt, stir and bring the quinoa and water up to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer for around 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
While the quinoa cooks, start the vegetables as directed below. Once the quinoa has cooked, add 1 tablespoon butter, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped sage to the saucepan. Stir and taste to adjust seasonings. Cover the quinoa and let it sit off the heat until you’re ready to serve.
Start the vegetables:
Meanwhile, in another medium-sized lidded saucepan bring salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, chop the onion, celery and broccoli, keeping the broccoli stems and florets separated. Once the water boils, add the stems to the boiling water. After 30 seconds add the florets. Drain the broccoli after another 30 seconds and set the broccoli aside.
In the same saucepan, heat the olive oil and ½ tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Stir and sauté the onions for around 5 minutes. Add the celery and another pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for another 3-4 minutes.
Grill the halloumi:
While the vegetables cook, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. After a few minutes, when the grill is very hot, add the cheese. Don’t over-crowd the pan. It is better to grill the cheese in two batches rather than crowd all of the cheese into the pan at once. After 3-4 minutes, flip the cheese and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove the grilled cheese to a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat until all the cheese is cooked. Let it rest for a minute before cubing it.
Finish the vegetables and mix it all together:
Once the celery has cooked for minutes, add the blanched broccoli stems and florets, the butternut squash and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let heat through for 1-2 minutes. Taste the vegetable mixture and adjust seasonings as desired.
Into a large bowl, scoop 3 cups of the cooked quinoa, the vegetable mixture and the cheese. Add chopped parsley over top. Using a large spoon, mix it all together and serve.
Eliana really liked this recipe! Her new “trick” is to go through her dish, and name all of the foods she is able to identify. It’s pretty cute. But, I supposed I am biased. 😉
Happy Cooking!