Thanksgiving Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Cranberries, Pecans and Fresh Sage

We wanted to bring some healthy dishes to the table this year and we found a quinoa recipe that got us excited. Of course, we had to modify the recipe to use or seasoning blends. We think we did a fantastic job on this one because it is every bit the word delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups roasted butternut squash, finely diced, tossed with 2TBSP of olive oil and 2 TSP of our French Made Easy
1 TBSP freshly chopped sage.
1 cup uncooked quinoa. We cooked it with 2 teaspoons of French Made Easy for 15 minutes.
1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 TBSP fresh sage, chopped

For the dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TSP honey
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the quinoa with 2 cups of water and the seasoning.  Simmer over low heat for 12-15 minutes, then remove from heat but leave it covered for 10 minutes.  This helps finish cooking the quinoa and absorbs and moisture still in the pan. 

While the quinoa is cooking, peel and dice the butternut squash.  If you have read any of our other recipes, you know that we like to keep ingredients uniform in size as much as possible.  Take the extra time to dice the squash in 1/4" cubes, or close to it.  You will be glad you did when you eat this.  Quinoa is a small grain - try to keep the rest of the ingredients relatively small.  Roast the butternut squash at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, or until it beings to slightly char. 

Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl then toss with the rest of the ingredients.  Give it a taste for seasonings.  If you want to add a little more French Made Easy - now is the time to do it.  This dish is best served cold, after it has chilled for 2 hours or more. 

Enjoy!