This colourful dish can be eaten hot or cold, making it great as a Sunday meal prep and lunch box option. It’s low fat, high fibre and packed with vitamins and minerals. I’ve used warm caribbean flavours to spice up this dish; don’t be afraid to adjust the seasoning and dressing to make it your own!
nutritional info
Butternut Squash
A one-cup (205-gram) serving of cooked butternut squash provides more than 450% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin A and over 50% of the RDI for vitamin C (1).
Vitamin A is essential for regulating cell growth, eye health, bone health, immune function and foetal growth in pregnancy (2). Both vitamins A and C work as antioxidants in your body, protecting your cells from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals.
Quinoa
Over the years, quinoa has been labelled as a super food for its high-nutrient properties.
- It is relatively high in fibre (2.8g per 100g), which supports regular bowel movements.
- It is a complete protein source, which means that it provides all nine essential amino acids.
- It has a relatively low glycemic index (GI) score of 53, which means that it should not cause a rapid spike in blood sugar (3).
- It’s a good source of antioxidants and minerals, providing more magnesium, iron, fibre, and zinc than many common grains (4)
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 35 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes
- Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients
For the butternut squash
- 1/2 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeds removed, and cubed)
- 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
- 1tsp Garlic granules
- 1tsp jerk seasoning
- 1 handful of fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 120g quinoa (roughly 280g cooked)
- 1 can of black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 2 spring onions (chopped)
- 1/2 red onion (diced)
- 1/2 scotch bonnet (finely chopped)
- 1/2 red pepper (diced)
- 1/2 yellow pepper (diced)
Dressing
- 100ml (~ ½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Juice of 1/4 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6).
- In a large bowl, toss the squash with the oil, garlic granules, jerk seasoning, thyme and black pepper.
- Spread out on a prepared baking tray and roast until fork tender (about 35 minutes).
- While the squash is cooking, cook the quinoa according to packet instructions and chop all of the salad ingredients.
- Place the quinoa and salad ingredients into a bowl and toss together. Add the butternut squash once it’s ready.
- In a separate dish, whisk together the dressing ingredients then drizzle over the salad to taste.
