Balsamic Quinoa with Roasted Autumn Vegetables

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare you squash. First you must cut it open. With a large chef’s knife, cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out with a spoon and set your emptied halves on a cutting board, flat side down. Slice the squash into half rings and place them in a medium bowl.

Next up: Brussels sprouts. Rinse them thoroughly in a colander and pat dry. Cut any extra stem of first, then quarter them. Begin at the bottom (the stem) and cut towards the top. Make sure you slice with the leaves to keep the integrity of the vegetable.

Add your Brussels sprouts to the bowl with the squash and toss them in a bit of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the squash and Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and separate them. Squash on one side, Brussels sprouts down the middle, leaving space on the other side for the asparagus. Set the sheet aside as you prepare your asparagus.

Simply chop the bottoms off the stalks and add them to the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roll them around to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the baking sheet in the middle of your warm oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. Check after about 10 minutes and flip everything over. After 20 minutes, your Brussels sprouts and asparagus will be done. Remove them from the baking sheet and shift the squash to the center. Let them roast for another 5-10 minutes until they are complete tender and slightly browned.

Once you remove the Brussels sprouts and asparagus from the oven, start your quinoa. Set the water on the stove to boil. Add your dry quinoa and turn down to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Don’t forget about the squash as you’re waiting for your quinoa to cook!

When the quinoa is fluffy and has absorbed all the water, transfer it to a large bowl. At this point your squash will have finished roasting and should be out of the oven. Chop your asparagus and delicata squash rings into bite size pieces and add them to the bowl of quinoa along with the Brussels sprouts and toasted pepitas.

Drizzle white balsamic vinegar over the bowl. White balsamic is much sweeter than regular balsamic vinegar so depending on what flavor you want, adjust the amount accordingly. (I probably added around 3 tablespoons and it is sweet.)

Garnish with a bit more salt and pepper and serve immediately.