Roasted Beet Quinoa Salad with Cumin Sunflower Dressing
Servings 4 People
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds*
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2-3 beets (just under 1 lb), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes**
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage***
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, or green scallions)
For the sunflower dressing:
- 1 cup Sunflower Cream
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- *Highly recommend roasting 2 cups to have extra for snacking and topping things. If you’ve already roasted sunflower seeds ahead or bought them roasted, just skip this step.
- **You can sub any roasted vegetable for the beets or do a combo
- ***Save time and sub the store-bought coleslaw mix for the cabbage
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Prep and roast beets
- Roast 1 cup sunflower seeds
- Cook 1 cup quinoa
- Thinly slice 2 cups cabbage
- Make sunflower dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the sunflower seeds, 1 teaspoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt to one baking sheet. Add the beets, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the other baking sheet. Toss both to coat in the oil and salt.
- Transfer to the oven and bake the sunflower seeds for 5-6 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove the seeds and continue to bake the beets for about 20 more minutes, or until tender.
- In a medium pot, add the quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, or until water is evaporated and quinoa is cooked through. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and spread out to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Sunflower Cream, vinegar, oil, water, mustard, cumin, and salt. Add beets, cabbage, and herbs to the large bowl and pour 1 cup of the dressing over top. Toss to coat. Serve topped with a drizzle of the remaining dressing, ½ cup of the toasted sunflower seeds (save the rest for other meals).
Notes
Substitutions:
- You can substitute any roasted veggie in for the beets.
- Use store-bought coleslaw mix to save time on chopping in place of cabbage. Or use any raw crunchy veg you have on hand in place of the cabbage.
- Substitute any cooked grain for the quinoa.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- This salad tastes best warm or at room temp. If eating leftovers, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to take the chill off and warm it up a bit. Top with any leftover dressing, more herbs, and sunflower seeds.
- Toss some fresh greens in with extra dressing to fluff it up into a green salad.