It’s related to zucchini and may remind you of pumpkin, but butternut squash is in a league all its own, especially when it comes to flavor, versatility and required effort. Don’t be fooled by its seemingly sturdy exterior; it’s actually incredibly simple to peel the thin skin and slice the flesh of this fruit (yep, it’s a fruit!) into bite-sized pieces.
And those sweet and slightly nutty bite-sizes pieces just to happen to be a perfect match for fluffy quinoa, chives, lime, garlic and the slow-burning heat of habanero-infused olive oil.Toss all of that together in a bowl for a flavorful vegetarian dinner. (Or scoop it onto a plate and serve with your favorite entree.)
Basically, you have no excuse not to stop by the farmer’s market this weekend for a bounty of butternut squash.
![Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl Recipe]( "Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl Recipe")
Spicy-Sweet Quinoa Bowl with Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked butternut squash
1 cup quinoa (white or multi-colored) and 2 cups water
Dressing:
2 Tbsp Vitacost Citrus Habanero Infused Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lime
2-3 Tbsp chopped chives
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
To cook squash:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place butternut squash on a cookie sheet and bake for 90 minutes.
3. Allow to cool, then peel and cube – you’ll need 2 cups for this dish.
To cook quinoa:
4. Rinse well in a fine mesh colander.
5. Combine with 2 cups water in a medium sauce pan.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
7. To make dressing, mix together olive oil, lime juice, chives, garlic, salt and pepper.
8. Toss butternut squash, quinoa and dressing in a bowl.
Yield: 8 servings