This nourishing, hearty salad is loaded with nutrition and filling enough to be a main course. The sweet and tangy maple dijon dressing is easy to make and adds a nice touch to an already flavourful dish. Try this salad with field greens, kale, arugula or spinach for the base.
4small or two large beetspeeled and sliced into half-moons
1acorn squash
6cupsmixed greens of choicebaby spinach, baby kale, arugula, salad greens, etc.
2avocado
2cupscooked quinoa
Instructions
To Make the Roasted Chickpeas. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the chickpeas by draining them and giving them a thorough rinse. Place them on a dish towel, fold it over them and roll them around until they’re near completely dry. The drier, the better. If some of the skins come off that’s good, you can pick those out. For the crispiest chickpeas, remove all the skins. Place the dried chickpeas on a baking tray and drizzle them with the olive oil, rolling around so they’re all coated. Roast for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. When they come out of the oven add the spices and roll around to coat. They will get crispy as they cool.
To Make the Roasted Beets. Peel and slice beets. Toss with 1 tsp of olive or avocado oil and roast at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes until tender.
To Make the Roasted Squash. Cut the acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds and cut into slices. Roast for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Let them cool briefly then pull the peel away from the flesh and cut the squash into cubes.
To Make the Dressing. Add all the ingredients to a small dish and whisk or shake in a container until smooth and creamy.
To Make the Salad.Start with a big handful of greens for each of 4 servings, then top each with half a chopped avocado, roasted beet, roasted squash, roasted chickpeas, quinoa and drizzle of dressing.
Notes
For leftovers, store the dressing separately so the salad doesn't get soggy.