Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Hazelnuts and Sage
The flavors of fall come together in this quinoa dish to make a lovely Thanksgiving side dish. It is also a nice gluten free and dairy free alternative to traditional Thanksgiving stuffing. The sage, butternut squash and shallots work well together with the hazelnuts to create a pleasing combination of fall flavors.
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed and drained)
- 2 cups chicken or veggie stock (preferably organic)
- 2 large shallots (minced)
- 1 large garlic clove (thinly sliced)
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Avocado oil or Olive Oil
- 2 cups butternut squash (diced small, approx. 1/2 medium squash)
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts (roasted and chopped)
- 5 large fresh sage leaves (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- In a medium size sauce pan, bring the stock to a boil. Carefully add the rinsed quinoa to the hot stock and let it return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add all of the sliced garlic and one large minced shallot to the pot with the stock and quinoa. Season the quinoa with salt and pepper. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Once the quinoa is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and keep warm. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat then add 2 tsp. of avocado oil or olive oil to the pan. Add the rest of the minced shallots to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and saute the shallot over medium high heat until translucent, approximately two minutes.
- Add the butternut squash to the pan and saute until tender and starting to brown, approximately 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the squash. (Small pieces of squash will cook faster than medium or large ones.)
- Once the squash is tender and starting to brown, lower the heat to medium low. Add the hazelnuts and chopped sage. Saute until the sage is dark green approximately 2 minutes.
- Remove the squash mixture from the heat and set aside.
Transfer the cooked, warm quinoa to a large serving bowl. Add the squash mixture to the quinoa and toss until well combined. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Why should you have more than one oil in your pantry? I’m here to break it down for you.
Based on how the oil is produced and whether it is raw or produced with heat will impact how and when it should be used. Every oil has its own ideal use. Each oil also has a unique smoke point. That being the temperature at which the oil will start to smoke, burn and produce chemicals that negatively effect the flavor of your food. In order to get the most health benefits and performance out of the oils in your kitchen you should be aware of the smoke point of your oil. When cooking, choose an oil that has a smoke point that is higher than the heat you are planning to use. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a relatively low smoke point approximately 375℉. Sesame Oil smokes at about 420℉, Canola Oil at about 435℉, Coconut Oil and Avocado Oil at 500℉. With all of these different temperatures, I feel it is important to have different oils for different uses. I often stir fry in Coconut Oil, and like to use if for baking in place of butter in recipes. I love Sesame Oil for Asian dishes, marinades and as a finishing oil. It has tons of great flavor and therefore you can use a lot less of it than other oils.
My favorite oil to use in salad dressing and to finish dishes after they have been cooked is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I have recently starting using Avocado Oil to saute and to roast veggies, meat and fish. Avocado oil is now my go to oil in the kitchen for cooking. It can be found now at many popular membership warehouse stores. So you can get it in larger quantities for less money than if you buy it at a specialty grocery store. Any oil in its raw form is fine to use in dressing or for finishing, with the exception of coconut oil since it is solid at room temperature. It is best for baking and high heat cooking so it can melt first. If you are currently tied to one type of oil, consider trying some that are new to you. Many manufacturers now print the smoke point on the label so it is easy to know if it good for high heat cooking.
Please note: All oils in their raw form will smoke at a much lower temperatures so it is best to check the label before using it to stir fry, deep fry, saute, roast or bake.
Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Hazelnuts and Sage – The flavors of fall come together in this quinoa dish to make a lovely Thanksgiving side dish. It is also a nice gluten free and dairy free alternative to traditional Thanksgiving stuffing. The sage, butternut squash and shallots work well together with the hazelnuts to create a pleasing combination of fall flavors. – uncooked quinoa (rinsed and drained), chicken or veggie stock (preferably organic), shallots (minced), garlic clove (thinly sliced), sea salt, Freshly ground black pepper, Avocado oil or Olive Oil, butternut squash (diced small, approx. 1/2 medium squash), hazelnuts (roasted and chopped), fresh sage leaves (chopped), Italian parsley (chopped), , In a medium size sauce pan, bring the stock to a boil. Carefully add the rinsed quinoa to the hot stock and let it return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add all of the sliced garlic and one large minced shallot to the pot with the stock and quinoa. Season the quinoa with salt and pepper. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.; Once the quinoa is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and keep warm. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat then add 2 tsp. of avocado oil or olive oil to the pan. Add the rest of the minced shallots to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and saute the shallot over medium high heat until translucent, approximately two minutes. ; Add the butternut squash to the pan and saute until tender and starting to brown, approximately 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the squash. (Small pieces of squash will cook faster than medium or large ones.); Once the squash is tender and starting to brown, lower the heat to medium low. Add the hazelnuts and chopped sage. Saute until the sage is dark green approximately 2 minutes. ; Remove the squash mixture from the heat and set aside.
Transfer the cooked, warm quinoa to a large serving bowl. Add the squash mixture to the quinoa and toss until well combined. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley and serve immediately. Enjoy! ; ; – – Dinner – Lunch – Side Dish – American – Dairy Free – Gluten Free – Healthy Comfort Food – Vegan – Vegetarian