Kuri + Carrots Cooked w/ Sage + Gremolata, Red Quinoa, Pomegranate
Autumn Squash + Root Veggies unite! This dish is enough to share for your holiday gathering + quick enough to make for a busy weeknight dinner. Eating solo? Consider this a dinner plus meal prep by reinventing the extra, already prepared food for breakfast with an 8 minute egg or added to greens such as arugula or spinach topped with sunflower or pumpkin seeds for lunch.
Remember when choosing to shop from organic local farms & farmers markets, you are supporting local growers & organic not only promotes & supports your own personal wellbeing, it has an impact on the greater wellbeing of the entire food system as a whole.
V | GF | DF
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE VEGGIES + QUINOA
1 medium organic kuri squash
3-4 medium organic carrots
sage a few sprigs from an organic bunch. leaves removed from stems (tender stems ok)
EVOO
Sea Salt
1 C red quinoa dried (or sub for white) 1 C dried = 2 C cooked (*See notes for soaking below if you wish to do so)
pomegranate + 1 lemon -optional garnish
FOR THE GREMOLATA
1 large bunch Italian parsley – washed, dried well & chopped with a pinch of salt.
1 large organic cloves garlic minced
1 organic Lemon zested (I like using a micro plane) + juice divided
EVOO + Sea Salt
Begin heating oven to 385 F
Let’s start with…
KURI. Leave the skin on for this one, it’s edible! Wash, dry, then cut in half stem to base. Remove seeds & compost. Place cut side down & cut into ¾” strips. Cut each strip in half width wise. CARROTS. Clip the tops - these can be used in a veggie stock, pesto or composted. If you are short on parsley, these can also be added to the gremolata. Wash carrots under cold water, scrubbing skins to remove any dirt, then dry well. Cut each carrot in half lengthwise. SAGE. wash & dry completely, patting with a clean towel to fully dry. Stack the leaves & cut. then rock and chop to mince. To a large baking tray, add kuri to one side, carrots to the other. Drizzle EVOO over everything & sprinkle with sea salt & chopped sage. Toss veggies to coat well, then spread out across the tray, ideally with space in between each piece for even cooking. Place in oven; cook 20-25 minutes, turning the tray and flipping veggies at the 15 minute mark or as needed for an even crust.
While that’s cooking…
Measure 1 C red quinoa & rinse in a fine mesh sieve under cold water. Add drained quinoa to a medium stock pot along with 2 C cool water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer & cook until all water is absorbed ~12 minutes (cooking time varies with heat). When all water is absorbed, turn off heat and fluff with a spoon, then let rest 10 minutes uncovered for a firm texture. Cover after 5 min or so to keep warm as desired. When ready to serve, drizzle with EVOO + a few pinches of sea salt then toss before adding to serving dish.
GREMOLATA. Combine all ingredients above in a bowl & toss. EVOO is not necessary for a dry gremolata, but I like a few glugs in the mix.
Finally, to a large serving dish, add the red quinoa, top with cooked veggies + gremolata. Squeeze a half lemon over everything & sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. ENJOY!
*Soaking quinoa and other grains helps to remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acid and helps improve the ability for digestion for some. It also speeds up cook time once it’s time to pull everything together. Rinse Quinoa in a fine mesh sieve, then add to a medium bowl and submerge with 2 C cool filtered water. Let soak at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, drain soaking liquid & rinse. Add 1.5 C filtered water to a pot with lid and bring to a slow boil, then add quinoa and cook at a simmer until liquid is absorbed ~about 10 minutes or so. Cook time will depend on how long the quinoa soaked. Turn off heat and fluff quinoa. Let sit for a 5 minutes or so to firm up, then cover with lid to keep warm as desired.