Fall Colors

One advantage of having whole grains and veggies prepped for the week is that lunch is a bit more exciting than the usual turkey sandwich (or peanut butter and jelly if you are a lazy daisy like me). We have kabocha squash on hand from our garden right now so I've been roasting it with a little olive oil and popping it into meals- we made enchiladas stuffed with mashed-roasted kabocha last weekend. Roasted kabocha also makes a great addition to a picnic salad like this.  The squash is nutty and soft, which works really well with sweet roasted beets and tangy fresh apple.  I think it would be delicious with figs too now that they are in season. To make yourself a "Rainbow Bowl" follow the recipe below.

Rainbow Bowl 
makes 2-4 servings

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 small kabocha squash, cleaned and cut into 1" cubes
1 large red beet, skin removed, cut into 1" cubes 
1 apple (pink lady, fuji or granny), chopped
1 avocado, sliced
1 lemon
1 tsp ginger,minced
1 clove garlic, minced 
2 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil
1 tbsp ponzu sauce (or soy sauce + rice wine vinegar)
sea salt and pepper
cilantro for garnish

To roast the beets and squash:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Toss the beets and squash in 1 tbsp olive oil sprinkle with sea salt and roast on a sheet pan for 15 minutes, until soft at the center, but not browned.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 

To make the dressing:

Juice the lemon and whisk with ginger, garlic, 1 tbsp oil, ponzu, and salt and pepper to taste.  

Toss quinoa, roasted vegetables and apples together with dressing in a large bowl. Portion out and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro.   
 

If you don't have a ton of extra time for food prep, you can substitute butternut squash available pre-cut at Whole Foods and Trader Joes- they also sell roasted beets, and you can always use a store bought dressing.