Quinoa and Kale w/ Delicata Squash and Tahini Sauce

I am so excited that it’s squash season!

Honestly, I have three edible squashes sitting on my kitchen counter, as well as numerous little decorative squashes in corners all over the apartment.  I love eating winter squash, because it’s sweet and warming, plus a great source of vitamin A, C, and fiber.  I consider it a challenge every fall and winter to see if I can turn myself orange from the beta-carotene (pre-cursor to vitamin A) in veggies like pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash, acorn squash, and delicata squash.

Today’s Meatless Monday recipe contains delicious delicata squash, as well as quite a few of my other favorites, like quinoa, kale, black beans, roasted red peppers, hemp seeds, and tahini sauce.  Definitely a nutritional powerhouse of a meal.

Ingredients

(makes 2 servings)

• 3/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 delicata squash
• 2 cups kale
• 1 T hemp seeds
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 T olive oil
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1 t tamari
• 1 t apple cider vinegar
• 2 T water
• sea salt to taste

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare quinoa in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.

2.  Wash the squash, and slice it in half length-wise.  Lightly grease a baking pan with cooking spray, and lay the squash halves face down.

3.  Wash, de-stem and de-seed the red bell pepper.  Place it in the baking pan with the squash.  Place the baking pan in the oven for about 30 minutes, rotating the bell pepper halfway through.

4.  In the meantime, steam the kale, and prepare the sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

5.  When the roasted veggies are done, remove them from the oven.  Slice the squash into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Remove the skin from the roasted bell pepper, and dice it.

6.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the quinoa, black beans, and roasted bell pepper (you can also add some sea salt and pepper, if you so desire), and gently fold together, until evenly distributed.

7.  Place half of the steamed kale on each plate.  Scoop half the quinoa/black bean/bell pepper mixture over the top, and lay half of the squash slices across each plate.  Pour the dressing over it all, and sprinkle hemp seeds on top.

This meal is filling and satisfying, as well as nutrient-packed.  The flavors meld amazingly.  I had this for dinner yesterday, and I honestly think that this is one of the best meals that I have made in a long time.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

What is your favorite kind of winter squash?  (Mine is probably butternut!)

Affirmation of the Day:  My diet changes with the flow of the seasons.

Have a great week!

<3 Lindsay