Pomegranate Mandarin Quinoa Salad w/ Sesame Honey Lime vinaigrette & Potato Salad

Confusing? perhaps. But, this delicious quinoa salad goes great with sesame honey lime vinaigrette, and so does a very simple sweet & regular potato salad…so I included them both.

POMEGRANATE MANDARIN QUINOA SALAD
w /sesame honey lime vinaigrette

thin sliced & chopped sweet Spanish onion
thin sliced & chopped red peppers
drained can of mandarins (or chopped mango)
¼ cup pomegranate pods (or chopped strawberries)
¼ cup toasted almond slivers
¼ cup chopped feta cheese
1c cooked quinoa
toss altogether with a drizzle of Sesame Honey Lime Vinaigrette or serve dressing on the side
serve on bed of baby greens/or just spinach

SESAME HONEY LIME VINAIGRETTE
1 clove garlic crushed with salt
1tbs honey
1tbs mayo
1/4c Olive oil
+/- 1-2 tbs Lime juice
black, white and/or toasted sesame seeds

HONEY-LIME POTATO SALAD
Dice and boil 1 regular potato and 2 sweet potatoes (not yams…)

add optional: parsley, cilantro, black beans, corn, red peppers, green onions, jalepenos

TOSS in Sesame Honey Lime Vinaigrette

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1001 ways to cook butternut squash (okay I exaggerate…quite a few)

Yeah, I grew a few too many butternut squash this year….but what a lovely vegetable to work with, so many options from sweet to savory.
PASTA SAUCE, QUICHE, CAKE, LASAGNA, VEGAN BIRYANI….all so delicious!!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA SAUCE

–can be made vegan

split and roast a good size squash…

simmer ONIONS & GARLIC in 1/4 cup OLIVE OIL & 2tbs BUTTER
when golden, add add 1cup QUINOA simmer for 5 minutes
add ROASTED SQUASH, 1 cup of WATER & VEG BROTH CUBE
add a little ALMOND MEAL, 1/2 cup PARMESAN CHEESE, FRESH BASIL, CURRANTS, a dash of NUTMEG SALT & PEPPER and ORANGE JUICE &/OR CREAM till smooth top with GOAT CHEESE OR MOZZARELLA CHEESE

BUTTERNUT SQUASH QUICHE–makes TWO deep dish pie shells

–this quiche has the same taste sensation as the lasagna further below, with lots of extra protein…

2c roasted butternut squash, then cut up small
2c chopped greens (spinach, chard, beet greens)
4 2inch sprigs of sage–finely minced
1/2 cup caramelized (fried crispy-brown edges) onions-thin sliced, fried in butter 2tbsp
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of milk
1/2c flour
1/2 cup Parmesan
fresh mozzarella (the soft ball/log kind–sliced into thin rounds)
8 eggs
salt & pepper
ready made deep dish pie shells

blend all ingredients (except fresh mozarella) in big bowl, divide between two pie shells, top with mozzarella rounds, salt & pepper the top
cook for 45min at 350 or so…check for center firmness.

ORANGE POPPYSEED & BUTTERNUT CAKE

–this cake was so yummy, fruity, nutty & moist that it got snapped up, it didn’t even have icing!

Here is a picture of the apx. size squash to use–cube, steam & mash 3 cups of raw-diced squash

DRY bowl:

2c whole wheat flour
1/2c oats/flax
1c +2-3tbsp brown sugar
2tsp cinnamon
1tsp nutmeg
1c combination of: almond slivers/hazel nuts/chia seeds/pumpkin seeds
3+tbsp poppyseeds
1/2 cup minimal process cranberries
rind of 2 large navel oranges done on cheese grater for long strips
2tsp baking soda

WET bowl:

4 large eggs
2tbs vanilla
1c grapeseed oil
3c raw-cubed butternut squash, steamed & mashed
juice & chopped pulp from 2 large navel oranges (pith excluded–as in photo)

blend without over-mixing and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350degrees in a greased rectangle cake pan…or until firm in center and stick comes out clean.
Great alone, as a breakfast cake with coffee or tea…or iced with orange-cream cheese icing

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA