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Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Quinoa salad with roasted summer vegetables, walnuts, and a citrusy dressing. This easy vegan dish can serve as a light vegetarian dinner, or a side dish at any of your summer gatherings!

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad with walnuts, and citrus dressing

Were you with me last summer when I was growing the biggest squash on the face of the earth in my small little planter boxes? Do you remember my 1.5-foot zucchini squash…

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad | https://www.theroastedroot.net

…that I turned into zucchini ribbon salad, chocolate zucchini cookies, baked zucchini and leek fritters and more?

For those who have grown zucchini, you know that it is not a wonderful idea to allow the squash to get this big because the vegetable becomes seedy, tough and tasteless. Bigger is not better. In my defense, I would leave for work with a 2-inch zucchini on the vine and come home to find it had grown a foot!

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad | https://www.theroastedroot.net

Okay, that may be a bit of a stretch (ba-dum-ching), but in essence, my lack of attention-to-garden resulted in monster zucchini and yellow squash, which meant I needed to come up with creative ways of using said vegetables.

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad with walnuts, and citrus dressing

Needless to say, I did not grow zucchini this year (or anything for that matter…my green thumb is taking a one-year hiatus).

But if I had, roasted summer vegetable quinoa salad would be where it’s at. 

Do you love it? I love it! Checkity check it:

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad with walnuts, feta, and citrus dressing

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad is a light yet satisfying side dish, and an amazing celebration of summer produce!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or olive oil
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 1 medium zucchini squash, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
  • 2 cups green beans, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions.
  • Spread the onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of grapeseed (or olive) oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Use your hands to toss everything together until well-coated. Wrap the cloves of garlic in foil and place the garlic and the sheet of veggies in the oven. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until veggies are golden-brown and tender. Once cool enough to handle, unwrap and peel the garlic.
  • Add the cooked quinoa and roasted vegetables to a large serving bowl. Finely chop the roasted garlic and add it to the serving bowl along with the zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice). Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, sea salt and walnuts and toss everything together until well combined. Taste the salad for flavor and add more sea salt and/or lemon juice to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams
Course: Lifestyle
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy free, easy healthy recipes, gluten free, gluten free recipes, healthy low carb recipes, healthy recipes
Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Julia
Recipe Rating




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rachel

Friday 3rd of August 2018

any sub in for the green beans? I've never roasted them or loved them in a cold salad but love the thought of this to switch up my sweet potato/bell pepper/broccoli medleys?

:D

Tuesday 3rd of September 2013

Roast veggies at 400?

Julia

Wednesday 4th of September 2013

Yup, I do it all the time :)

dishing up the dirt

Friday 26th of July 2013

Heading over to check out the recipe! This post made me laugh because we spend hours everyday diving head first into prickly squash plants to harvest for the AMAZING grocery stores who take it off our hands. I'm so stinking sick of squash right now the rash on my arm is pretty tired of them too!

DessertForTwo

Thursday 25th of July 2013

Here's the deal: I got so tired of monstrous zucchini staring at me through the window that I didn't garden this year either. Also: I'm still overwhelmed with zucchini from other people who are growing way too much. So, the way I see it is, never plant zucchini and you will still have plenty to eat!

Heading to FF! :)

Julia

Friday 26th of July 2013

I like this philosophy! The next time I grow a garden (hopefully next summer), I won't be growing squash...it takes up way too much space and frankly, I'm kind of affraid of it! I'll willingly accept zucchini donations from the brave souls who grow it :)

Annie @ Natural Sweet Recipes

Thursday 25th of July 2013

I remember that picture! Craaazzy!! Lucky you that your garden is so conducive to larger than life produce! I just used my last zucchini but I have a butternut squash to use up. This salad looks so good and the perfect recipe to use it in!

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