Warm Quinoa Salad

Number of servings: 6 mains

2 cups quinoa2 large beetroots or 10 small baby beets1 large sweet potato1 parsnip1/2 butternut pumpkin10 shallots1 clove garlic2 capsicums100 g kale (or spinach)1 tablespoon olive oil1/2 cup walnuts2 tablespoons chia seeds2 tablespoons pumpkin seedsSea salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation time: 40 minute
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

Preheat oven to 180°C.Dice sweet potato, pumpkin, beetroot, parsnip into small cubes.Slightly crush garlic cloves with side of knife, cut shallots in half lengthways. Place all of the above plus whole capsicums, in large roasting pan, with 1 tbs olive oil.Roast for 25 minutes or until soft.While roasting, cook quinoa in saucepan. Two parts water to one part quinoa. Stir on low heat until all water has been absorbed.Cook kale for 2 to 3 minutes in covered saucepan with a little water (if needed to prevent sticking).Take roast vegies out of the oven. Peel and chop capsicum then add it as well as the kale and quinoa to the roasting pan.Mix together with salt and pepper, then place in large serving bowl.Sprinkle with nuts and seeds.Serve while still warm.

Tips:

Substitute walnuts for your favourite variety of nut;Leftovers can be added to a tasty omelet or even a sandwich;Add extra kale or spinach for more vitamins and minerals;Leave the skin on vegetables for extra nutrients like fibre, which is used by the gastrointestinal system to digest food;Dry roast the vegetables to reduce the fat content of this recipe. Adding less fat to every recipe is an easy step you can take to improve your diet and reduce your risk of developing chronic health conditions like obesity, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome;Crumble low fat feta cheese over the salad for extra calcium to protect your teeth and bones. This is an especially good idea if you have increased calcium requirements have higher calcium requirements for example because you are:

Nutritional analysis per serve:

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For more information on nutrition, including information on?types and composition of food, nutrition and people, conditions related to nutrition, and diets and recipes, as well as some useful videos and tools, see?Nutrition.?

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