Name: California quinoa & avocado salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250g butternut squash chopped into small chunks; 2 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil; 120g pack thin-stemmed broccoli cut into small pieces; 250g 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; 50g pomegranate seeds; 20g pistachios roughly chopped; 1 small ripe avocado; juice ½ lemon; handful sprouts (alfalfa or china rose sprouts are nice) or baby herb leaves; 1 tbsp tahini; 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 clear honey or maple syrup

250g butternut squash
chopped into small chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
or rapeseed oil
120g pack thin-stemmed broccoli
cut into small pieces
250g 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
50g pomegranate seeds
20g 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
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 clear honey
or maple syrup

Method

step 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.
step 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.
step 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.
step 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. Top with the sprouts and grind over a little pepper, if you like.