Roasted Root & Quinoa Salad

As the temperatures cool down, my body craves more cooked foods and less raw. Eating warmer foods in the cooler months is especially helpful to promote proper digestion and maintain an abundance of Qi. I love using seasonal roasted veggies in my salads this time of year as a variation to the salads that I enjoy in spring and summer. My current favorite combination is this Roasted Root and Quinoa Salad. This salad is delicious served warm or at room temperature. It also keeps well to have left-overs for lunch the next day. 

Roasted Root & Quinoa  Salad
(serves 2 entrée size salads)
For the salad:

• 1 cup prepared quinoa
• Baby kale (enough for a nice bed of greens for salad to rest on)
• Coconut oil (about 1-2 Tablespoons)
• 1 sweet potato (small-medium), peeled and diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 medium-large parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 medium beet, peeled and diced
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Pumpkin seeds (I like raw, unsalted)

 
For the tahini-maple vinaigrette:

• 1.5 tablespoon tahini
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400. While oven is heating, toss chopped veggies with coconut oil, salt & pepper, in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet in an even layer (I like to use parchment paper to make clean-up easier). Roast veggies for about 30-40 minutes, or until fork soft. While veggies are roasting mix all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl. Once veggies are ready place them into a large bowl and add cooked quinoa. Gently toss together until evenly mixed. Serve veggie quinoa mixture over a bed of baby kale. Drizzle with vinaigrette and top with pumpkin seeds. This can be served warm or at room temperature.