Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Sauce

I just made the tastiest dish. It was my own creation, so I better write it down before I forget. This might be the first dish I ever created using just my imagination and the ingredients already in the kitchen.

Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Sauce

Serves about 4

Quinoa Salad:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 acorn squash; seeded, skin removed, and diced
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans; drained and rinsed

Honey Lime Sauce

• 1/4 cup honey*
• Zest from 1 lime
• Juice from 1/2 a lime
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Combine oil and squash in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Combine the quinoa with the water in a covered pot and cook for about 18 minutes.
5. When the squash and quinoa are done, combine in a bowl with the black beans.
6. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.
7. Serve the salad and drizzle with the sauce.

This recipe for the sauce only makes a small amount, but a little goes a long way. You can always double the recipe if you don't think you have enough. I hope you enjoy my creation!

*There is some debate over whether honey should be considered vegan. I agree that technically it is an animal product. The honey I use comes from a neighbor, who I know treats her bees very humanely and harvests the honey sustainably. So yes it is an animal product, but I don't feel bad using it. Especially since it works wonders on my allergies!