Chef’s Nectar, ‘ Quinoa & Avocado Salad”

Ingredients for making the Qunioa Salad

• 250gms butternut squash, chopped into small chunks
• 2 tbsp Olive oil or rapeseed oil
• 120gms pack thin-stemmed broccoli, cut into small pieces
• 250gms pouch cooked quinoa
• small handful coriander, leaves picked and chopped
• small handful mint, leaves picked and chopped
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced on an angle
• 50gms pomegranate seeds
• 20gms pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1 small ripe avocado
• juice ½ Lemon
• handful sprouts (alfalfa or china rose sprouts are nice) or baby herb leaves

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp tahini sauce
• ½ small ripe avocado , stoned, peeled and roughly chopped
• small handful coriander, leaves picked
• small handful mint, leaves picked
• zest and juice ½ lemon
• 2 tsp honey or maple syrup

Method of making the Salad

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment. Tip the butternut squash onto the tray, drizzle with 2 tsp oil and season well. Roast for 20 mins, then push the squash to one end of the tray, add the broccoli to the other end and drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Season and roast for 10 mins more.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor, add 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt. Blitz to make a loose dressing, adding a little more water if necessary.
3. Squeeze the pouch of quinoa to separate the grains, then tip into a large bowl. Add the herbs, spring onions, pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, season and toss everything together. Add the roasted veg too.
4. Divide the salad between two plates and drizzle over the dressing. Halve the avocado and remove the stone, then slide a dessertspoon between the skin and flesh to remove it in one piece. Place on a chopping board, rounded side up, and thinly slice. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then slide a knife underneath and lift half the avocado onto each salad.
5. Garnished with assorted bell peppers and mint sprigs, just for plating made the squash net to make it more appealing.