Spicy Roast Butternut Salad

Pesach is a time of tradition and Meatland shoppers' carts reflect this. Chicken soup. Kneidlach. Chopped liver. Gefilte fish. Brisket. Kugel. And all the other, timeless dishes everyone knows and expects. While tradition is important, these old favorites come alive when juxtaposed against new, modern dishes, and this spectacular roast butternut salad is the perfect example. Wow your seder crowd with this deliciously different platter or upgrade next week's BBQ's. Typical Jewish cooking never looked or tasted this good.

Sweet 'n Spicy Roast Butternut Salad

2 cups quinoa ** 3 cups butternut OR sweet potato, diced 1/2 cup cranberries/chopped dates/slivered apricots 1 large red onion, cut in small squares 2 teaspoons crushed garlic Olive oil 3 tablespoon honey or silan Salt and ground pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger Pinch chilli flakes (SEE NOTES) 1/2 to ¾ cup chopped, toasted pecan nuts Finely chopped parsley 1: Rinse and drain quinoa very well well then place in a bowl with 3 cups salted water, cover and microwave on high for 12 to 14 minutes, allow to stand covered for approximately 20 minutes, then mix with a fork. 2: Place butternut/sweet potato, onion and garlic in a baking pan, drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, maple syrup/honey, ginger, chilli flakes, and salt and pepper. 3: Toss ingredients together then cook at 180 C for approximately 20 minutes till vegetables are tender. 4: Add vegetables to quinoa, add chopped parsley, dried fruit, nuts and a drizzle of extra olive oil if desired, check salt and pepper and serve at room temperature. **If you can't find kitniot-free quinoa, make a substitute by processing or grating cauliflower for a few seconds till it resembles couscous. This cauliflower ‘couscous’ is then lightly cooked in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil for 7 minutes and makes a great base for ALL salads/side dishes where you’d use couscous or rice. Substitutepinch of chilli flakes with 1 teaspoon of curry powder post-Pesach and make this year round. Recipe serves approximately 8.