Squash , Quinoa and Shrimp salad bowl

This salad bowl is simple , yet hearty enough to satisfy the starving body. Loaded with plant proteins, greens and good carbs. Definitely a winter salad but why limit yourself….nothing wrong with having an ice cream cone in the winter right? Same thing here. If the temperature today is any indicator, summer is definitely traveling at a snail’s pace.

Use what you have to develop the flavors you crave. That’s my motto in the kitchen. No ingredient is too Asian, American , European, Indian, Middle Eastern or even extraterrestrial for me! If the flavors work, you bet I’ll be cooking.

There is no such thing as “stepping out of my comfort zone” in the kitchen…..

what comfort zone?

Red quinoa is unapologetically beautiful, and the perfect complete protein. It’s also a good source of fiber, folate, Iron and zinc. I would munch on a bowl of snow peas anytime, but we’re making a warm salad so it needed a quick hot bath with this recipe.

Thanks to its versatility, Berbere spice blend marries wonderfully with vegetables, meat fish and more. Butternut squash is no exception to this. The bold flavors definitely gives the squash a hefty chunk of east Africa.There are probably many that would always argue the authenticity of this spice blend. Kudos if you can make your own at home. I picked up a jar at the Milwaukee Public Market and it works great for me.

With a few minutes to spare and a starving house to feed, a warm salad bowl made its way to our dinner table.

Squash, Quinoa & Shrimp salad bowl

Servings: 2-4
Time: 45 mins
Difficulty: moderate
Print

Ingredients

1 small squash (butternut or acorn)- washed peeled and diced ~ 3-4 cups
2/3 cup uncooked red quinoa
~ 1/2 lb snow peas
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
~ 1/2 lb shrimp ( washed peeled and deveined)
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1/4 cup seafood broth
3 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Berbere Spice
Salt / Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Marinade shrimp with a little salt, pepper, parsley , olive oil and set aside.
Drizzle olive oil over squash, add Berbere spice and mix well. Transfer to a lined cookie sheet and bake for ~30 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package direction.
In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil, add a pinch of salt and cook peas for ~ 3 minutes or until aldente. Set aside
Heat oil in fry pan. Carefully add shrimp. Cook for ~ 2-3 minutes on each side to a nice golden brown. Remove shrimp and set aside. Deglaze pan with seafood broth. Let simmer and reduce to about half the amount. Add ~ 2 Tbsp olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper (if necessary)
Combine Shrimp, quinoa & squash in a bowl, add warm dressing and stir gently. Serve warm in bowls, over a bed of spinach.