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Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower

A Healthy Zesty Vegan fresh Quinoa salad

Quick answerMakes 5 servings, ready in 70 minutes, cook at 225c/ 450F, Mediterranean cuisine.
By Jaron Kimhi··👁 330 views
Quinoa salad
For many years, I refused to make quinoa. I really can't think of a good reason — I only started to really like this amazing grain a few years ago, and today, the quinoa salad is one of my favorites. One of the nice things about quinoa is that it has a neutral taste and can truly be paired with almost any combination of sauce, vegetable, or fruit.

Someone said quinoa?

Originally from the South American Andean countries — Peru, Chile, and Bolivia — it's been cultivated for over 5,000 years by the local inhabitants. This grain (if you want to be picky, it's actually a seed) has a variety of nutritional values: a high amount of protein, a good source of calcium and magnesium, as well as Vitamin B, E, and dietary fiber. The most common quinoa varieties are the pale yellow and the red one. Both have similar nutritional values and taste pretty much the same.

My version of quinoa salad

There are probably endless versions of a good quinoa salad. I went with a roasted vegetables version to get those smoky flavors, plus fresh vegetables to keep that fresh feeling. Roasting the cauliflower and the sweet potatoes is what gives this salad a barbecue feel and taste. The semi-burnt vegetables develop natural sugars during roasting, giving the salad a rich, sweet flavor. quinoa salad The fresh greens (scallions and coriander) and the avocado bring the fresh flavors and texture to the salad. This mix of roasted and fresh is a winner. The sauce is pretty simple and includes just two ingredients — lemon and olive oil. That's the zest we need to wake this salad up and cut through the sweet flavors from the roasted vegetables. This salad will be the star of the party and can make a full, satisfying dinner on its own.  

Method

  1. 1

    Cook the Quinoa· 15 minutes

    Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook with the lid on until the quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

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  2. 2

    cook the Cauliflower

    Cut Cauliflower head into its flowers, cook the Cauliflower flowers 5 minutes (don't be tempted to cook longer) and rinse in cold water.

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  3. 3

    Roast the Cauliflower and sweetpotatos· 45 minutes

    Sprinkle olive oil over the sweet potatoes and Cauliflower and roast in the oven 45 minutes on 225c/ 450F

    Cauliflower and sweet potatoesquinoa salad
  4. 4

    mix and serve· 10 minutes

    Cut Avocado, Scallions, sweet Potatoes into 1 cm pieces, add coriander and mix with Quinoa. Add the Cauliflower, season with salt and mix well. Mix the olive oil and Lime in a small bowl and pour over the salad before serving. This salad is best at room temperature but can be served cold as well.

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Recipe by

Jaron Kimhi

Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.

More recipes by Jaron →

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Categories
SaladsVegetarian
Cuisines
Mediterranean
Features
Gluten FreeVeganVegetarian
Tags
QuinoasaladCauliflowersweet potatoes

Questions & answers

Can I swap the lime for lemon?
Yes, lemon works fine here — same amount, same idea. You just lose a little of that bright citrus edge lime gives.
Why do I boil the cauliflower before roasting it?
That quick 5-minute boil plus cold rinse gets it tender inside before it hits the oven. Don't skip the cold rinse and don't cook it longer than 5 minutes or it'll go mushy after roasting.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Roast the veggies and cook the quinoa ahead, but add the avocado and lime dressing right before serving so the avocado doesn't brown and the salad stays fresh.
What if I don't have scallions?
The recipe only calls for scallions, so if you're out, just leave them — the coriander and lime dressing carry plenty of flavor on their own.
Can I serve this warm instead of at room temperature?
The recipe says room temp is best, but cold works too — serving it warm straight from the oven isn't part of the method, so let it cool a bit before you mix and plate it.

Nutrition per serving

240
Calories
7.8g
Total fat
0.7g
Saturated Fat
0.0g
Trans Fat
32%
Dietary Fiber
130g
Sodium
0.0g
Cholesterol