By The week after the anniversary and I have been wearing that card-in-the-nightstand feeling around with me all week, not heavily, just as a kind of warmth in the background. I have been thinking about what it means to be known somewhere, to have a place that knows your face and your name and expects you every morning. I spent the first eighteen years of my life without that. I have been building it since.
Fall is settling in properly now. The air has changed and the leaves at the edges of the oaks are beginning to think about turning. I made a butternut squash soup this week that felt like a seasonal announcement: roasted butternut squash blended with sauteed onion and garlic and a generous amount of broth, finished with cream, seasoned with nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon, drizzled with pumpkin seed oil and topped with toasted pepitas. I ate it for dinner three nights and brought the last of it to work in a thermos on Thursday and Tamara asked if she could have a taste and then asked if I would consider making it a regular thing.
I brought it to Gloria's on Sunday and she said it needed more salt, which it did, and then after I added the salt she said now it is right. That is the whole lesson in two sentences. Make the thing. Taste it. Correct it. Make it right. She has been teaching me this for eight years in different forms. I do not think I am done learning it.
My autumn cooking urge is officially fully activated. I have a list of things I want to make before December.
With the butternut squash soup already crossed off the list and Gloria’s salt lesson still sitting with me, I turned to the next thing on my autumn cooking list: something with the same roasted, earthy warmth but built for sharing and for keeping. This quinoa salad with roasted sweet potato, kale, and pesto vinaigrette has that same seasonal-announcement quality — it tastes like fall has officially arrived and you were ready for it. It holds up beautifully the next day, which means it goes well in a thermos to work on Thursday, or to Gloria’s on Sunday, where someone will tell you it needs more salt, and they will probably be right.
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale & Pesto Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 cups curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- For the pesto vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss sweet potato cubes with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25—30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until tender and caramelized at the edges. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Cook the quinoa. Combine rinsed quinoa and water or broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature.
- Massage the kale. Place kale in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the leaves firmly with your hands for about 1 minute until softened and slightly darkened. This takes away any bitterness and makes the kale more pleasant to eat.
- Make the pesto vinaigrette. Whisk together the pesto, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey in a small bowl until smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble the salad. Add the cooled quinoa to the kale and toss to combine. Add the roasted sweet potato and dried cranberries. Pour the pesto vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat everything evenly.
- Finish and serve. Top with toasted pepitas and crumbled feta if using. Taste and adjust salt. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 56g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 340mg