California quinoa & avocado salad

California quinoa & avocado salad

• • Prep:10 mins
  • Cook:30 mins
• Easy
• Serves 2

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

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

For the dressing

• 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

Method

• STEP 1

  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.

• STEP 2

  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.

• STEP 3

  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.

• STEP 4

  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.

RECIPE TIPS

SPROUTS

As well as adding colour to your plate, sprouts contain concentrated amounts of vitamins and minerals, plus they taste great!