Chefs know best that we "eat with our eyes first." Did you know that when it comes to visually appealing food, like this amazingly colorful Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad, how the food looks can affect how it tastes? 

We think this salad is gorgeous and we're thrilled to share this recipe from our friends at Food Guru. This salad recipe combines the savory tastes of butternut squash with protein-packed quinoa.

Roasted squash combined with sweet notes like maple syrup and cranberries pack this salad with healthy goodness while also being a salad you’ll crave to eat rather than being something you feel you have to. The ingredients also hold up well in the frig for several days, so it's a great recipe if you're into food prep. 

Lunch your way to health with this roasted butternut squash and quinoa salad recipe creation presented by Food Guru in the video below!

How to Make The Salad Recipe Video

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & QUINOA SALAD

Ingredients:

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 2 tsp. EVOO
• 1 cup butternut squash, medium-size dice 
• 3 Tbls. pumpkin seeds, roasted & salted
• 3 Tbls. dried cranberries
• 3 Tbls. green onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbls. roughly chopped pecans

• 3 Tbls. EVOO
• 1 Tbl. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbl. maple syrup
• 1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut butternut squash into bite sized cubes. Place cubes in a bowl and toss to coat with EVOO.
3. Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet. 
4. Roast squash on the center oven rack for 12 minutes until fork tender and lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.
5. While squash is roasting, place rinsed quinoa in a saucepan with 1 cup water. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add cranberries in the last 5 minutes of cooking. When all the water is absorbed, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
6. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
7. In a medium bowl combine cooled quinoa & cranberries with squash, green onion, pumpkin seeds, & pecans. Add dressing and toss gently to mix. Season to taste with a couple grinds of salt & pepper if needed. 

Prep time: 30 minutes Serves: 2

How-To Pack The Salad Demonstration Video

Learn how to pack the salad in our Seal Cup Trio set, which contains a Blue Water Bento Seal Cup Large, Medium and Salad. For people who like to keep ingredients separate and combine when they're sitting down to eat, the three containers work great for the salad, nuts and dressing.