Today is Mother's Day in Australia (May 14, 2017) so this post is lovingly inspired by and dedicated to my much beloved mother, Judith. I almost certainly would not be where or who I am right now if not for my mother. In actual fact, if not for her, this blog and platform would likely not exist for without mum's presence in my life, I think it's fairly safe to say I would not have developed an interest or a passion for health or nutrition. Since day one, my mum has willingly submit to taste testing all manner of whacky and occasionally tasty creations, some of which she's loved and others less so, but it is through her continued support that The Orange Kitchen came into being and for that I think we all ought to be thankful!
In honour of my mum, this past week I created this salad. It's been a concept I've been slowly working on for months, continually trying various combinations until I got it right. Good things do however, come to those who are patient and alas, here we are with a tasty, wholesome, nutritious and warming (perfect for the southern hemisphere winter!) salad. I'd call it the 'Judith Salad' because I feel like it fairly perfectly embodies my mum, but that wouldn't be the most informative recipe title to see on a webpage, so instead I'll settle for 'Roast Veg and Quinoa Salad'. It's packed full of colourful and tasty roasted vegetables, served over a bed of fluffy quinoa and topped off with a rich balsamic and tahini dressing and is, almost certainly, my new winter favourite!
Ingredients;
(makes 1 large salad)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 medium sweet potato
1 large beetroot
Approx. 2 cups diced pumpkin
1 large zucchini
1 large carrot
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mixed herbs
4 cloves garlic/3 tsp minced garlic
The Dressing
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 lemon, juiced
Cracked black pepper (to taste)
+ pine nuts and black pepper (to serve)
1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Dice up all your vegetables into reasonably small and manageable pieces. For the round veggies (carrot, zucchini, sweet potato), I like to slice them into round discs, purely for aesthetic reasons rather than taste.
3. Take a large baking dish (I use a ceramic, oven safe one) and put all your chopped veggies in. Add in the olive oil, mixed herbs and garlic and then mix everything through well. Place in the oven to roast for 40 minutes, then mix through again. Place back in the oven and roast for a further 30-40 minutes (approx.) until all the vegetables are soft and cooked through.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, cook the quinoa as per packet instructions. Drain any excess water and place on a large plate to serve.
5. When the veggies are cooked, scoop them out and over the top of the quinoa.
6. In a small bowl, mix together the balsamic, tahini, lemon juice and pepper for the dressing. Pour over the top of the vegetables/quinoa and serve garnished with some pine nuts and some extra black pepper. Enjoy!!
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