Butternut Squash Black Bean Quinoa Salad

It's NOVEMBER! Wow. Guess what? I have another fall-themed recipe for you. Obviously! ;-)

What is it, you might ask? Well, I have a side dish of butternut squash black bean quinoa salad for you. This could be a main dish too actually, but I think most people would probably have it as a side. Have you ever cooked quinoa? I hadn't until this recipe! I had eaten it a few times before making this recipe, but I had never made it myself. Let me just say that it is super easy, delicious, and healthy! Quinoa is a complete protein...bet you didn't know that! Our good friend Jenn over at Livewellfitnow told us that little tid bit of info. :) Quinoa has all sorts of nutritional benefits too. Check 'em out here! Oh, and in case you're wondering, quinoa is pronounced "keen-wah." I've accidentally said many other versions of the word though (queen-oa, ki-noa, etc.), so don't worry if it takes you a while to get used to saying "keen-wah"!

I decided to make this side dish for a nice dinner we were having over at our friends Jenn and Jason's house. The lovely host and hostess provided some delicious accompaniments for this dish too...  We also had roasted kombucha squash (so good!), grilled pork injected with pumpkin beer (I ain't lying!), and some pumpkin beer (of course!). 

I found this quinoa recipe from the Poor Girl Gourmet blog. It looked pretty easy and very yummy so I gave it a shot! You can read the recipe's ingredients and instructions here. One aspect of this recipe I liked was that it only required a few ingredients. The most time consuming part was roasting the butternut squash, but what's nice about roasting is that you can always get other things done while something's in the oven! 

Roasted squash! I roasted it at about 425 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or so.

Other ingredients! The recipe calls for walnuts, but I didn't have any so I used sunflower seeds. The nuts are optional anyway though - use them or don't - it's your call!

Here's the quinoa, cooking in the veggie broth!

See how it's soaked up the liquid and become nice n' fluffy? Mmmm.

Rinsing the black beans over the sink. Isn't that a cool over-the-sink colander?! That's Jenn's but I have one too. :)

Here's everything mixed together - squash, quinoa, and beans! 

Below is a picture of my dinner plate, filled with delicious roasted kombucha, pork, and quinoa. YUM. Such a wonderful fall meal!!!

I'd be remiss if I didn't show a picture of the pumpkin beer that was consumed with dinner. ;-)

One more picture for you! See that delicious-looking plate of squash in the background too? 

If you haven't ever tried quinoa, I encourage you to give it a shot. I think you'll be glad you did! It's incredibly easy to make (takes about 15 minutes) and is quite versatile! In fact, I think I'll conclude this post by sending you over to Jenn one more time for some ideas for variations of quinoa dishes. 

See you again soon! I have several delicious recipes in the line-up, just waiting to be shared with you...