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One Pan Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Next time you have a fridge full of scraps of ingredients but no idea what to make with them - make this ONE pan meal! It's super quick and easy, absolutely adaptable for whatever ingredients you have on hand, colorful and visually pleasing, and packs full of flavors and nutrients - truly an "all-purpose" super salad!

See this is what I want when I order a "salad" from a restaurant - well-balanced, nourishing, consisting of many different flavors and textures. Seriously, can we start a petition for all the restaurants to REDEFINE salads? Salads can be so much more than just bare veggie leaves with nothing substantial, those kinds of old school "salad" gives all salads a bad name.

And this is a perfect example that eating healthy and vegan can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. People often ask me, "Isn't it difficult or expensive to eat healthy and stay vegan?" No, not at all. Some of the cheapest, most accessible, and at the same time, most nutritious food on earth are vegan and trust me, you've been eating vegan food all your life. 

There are grains, rice, brown rice,  quinoa, barley, millet... And beans and legums, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, great northen beans, butter beans, chickpeas, lentils... And of course, endless varieties of vegetables and fruits. 

I made this one pan roasted veggie sald with some very common ingredients, but feel free to substitue with whatever you have on hand! Then toss in any grains and beans you like, optionally some additional raw veggies - I added massaged kales and celeries, and dressing of your choice - I used my homemade silken tofu mayo, done. 


INGREDIENTS:

1 red onion

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 large carrot

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

2 large portobello mushroom caps

2 cup cooked quinoa

2 cup kidney beans

other veggies of choice


Seasoning for roasting - 

2 - 3 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

salt and pepper as needed


For the mushroom -

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon coconut amino


TO MAKE:

- Preheat the oven to 395°F;

- Prep all the veggies except mushrooms and arrange them in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper;

- Drizzle on the olive oil, garlice powder, onion powder, salt and pepper evenly all over the veggies, I like to add a dash of paprika just on the carrots;

- Cut the mushrooms into 1/2 inch slices, toss with the mushroom seeasoings in a bowl, massage evenly, add mushrooms to the pan;

- Roast for 15 minutes, toss in between if needed, add 5 more minutes if you want your veggies to be slightly charred;

- Transfer roasted veggies and other ingredients you like to a bowl, add dressing, serve warm, enjoy!


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