Welcome to My Plant-Based Family and the Virtual Vegan Potluck. Today over 100 bloggers are joining forces to entice you with delicious vegan recipes. I signed up to bring a salad. I chose to incorporate two seasonal flavors, butternut squash and fresh cranberries.
If you want to start at the very beginning of the potluck go to Vegan Bloggers Unite! There are buttons at the bottom of this recipe you can follow to progress through the potluck.
Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad with Oil-Free Cranberry Dressing
Ingredients for Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad 1 serving (dressing recipe below)
- 2-3 cups of your favorite salad greens
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup roasted or steamed butternut squash
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 1/4 of an onion
Do
- Cut onions into rings and cook in a hot skillet, stirring regularly until onions are crispy.
- In a medium bowl mix cooked quinoa, squash and cranberries together and carefully stir in grated ginger.
- Spoon quinoa mixture over fresh greens. Top with cooked onions and oil-free cranberry dressing.
- If desired toss everything together.
Tip: My husband prefers this salad without the onion, feel free to leave it out.
Oil-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing
Ingredients (2-4 servings)
- 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- zest from 1 orange
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp xanthum gum
Do
- Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) and process until everything is smooth.
- Taste and add more maple syrup if it is to tart or add more water or juice if dressing is too thick.
Tip: If you don’t have xanthum gum you can get away without it if you do not add the water. The dressing will be more tart and thinner but works great in a tossed salad. You could also add a little corn starch instead.
In previous potlucks I’ve brought Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins, Gluten-Free Apple Muffins and a Lentil Shepherds Pie. If you are just stopping in today for the potluck feel free to look around, maybe checkout my Recipe Page. It is full of Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes that are oil-free and mostly Gluten-Free.
You can go backward in the potluck to 86 Lemons by clicking the Go Back button below; or journey forward to In Fine Balance by clicking the Go Forward button.
That dressing sounds good enough to drink! xx
Rebecca, HA! If you take out the vinegar and add some sparkling water it would be the perfect party drink! Thanks for stopping by the potluck!
That dressing is so festive! Perfect for the holidays.
Thanks Trish! It looks really fun and pairs well with lots of different flavors. Enjoy the potluck!
This Potluck is standing out just for the colors alone! Amazing. I’m in agreement w/ the other commenters – the dressing looks out of this world good!
Thanks Annie! The potluck is always so fun! Everyone brings such beautiful dishes!
Lovely salad! That cranberry dressing looks especially gorgeous and tempting!
Thanks Allison! It is so good! I love how pretty it is in the jar too!
That dressing looks really lovely! Looks like quinoa is popular in the salads section this potluck! 🙂
Quinoa is always popular in my house! We love it! Have a great potluck!
what a pretty dressing and oil free too! festive winter salad 🙂
Looks gorgeous and I’m sure it tastes amazing too. That dressing looks epic and a great way to include cranberries!
Thanks Laura! I lie finding fun ways to use cranberries! Thanks for stopping by!
I love the idea of cranberry dressing. I bet you could use a teaspoon of chia seed to thicken the dressing.
You can definitely use chia seeds! Some people are afraid other though, the cranberries really help it thicken up enough without anything else.
I was just thinking about making a cranberry dressing, sounds like the perfect topping for butternut squash.
It is tasty! I have a sweet potato variation that I’ve never posted. I should pull that out and share it this week. Thanks for stopping by the potluck!
I am obsessed with making my own salad dressings. I love that this recipe is perfect for fall!
Vanessa, Me too! I saw a man looking at salad dressings today at the store and I had to stop myself from going an giving him my card. I can not eat store bought dressings anymore. My Sweet and Tangy dressing is my favorite!
Beautiful salad, perfect for fall! Fresh ginger is never a bad decision 🙂
LOVE bnut squash & quinoa together in a salad. Its good with some apple slices tossed in too 🙂
I meant to put sliced pears in the original recipe but I forgot them for the picture so I just decided to leave them out. I thought of granny smith apples too!
This would make a wonderful side dish for Thanksgiving!! YUM YUM YUM!
I think the butternut and quinoa would be great stuffed into an acorn squash!
Lovely salad chica! I’m trying that oil-free cranberry dressing for sure!! Celeste 🙂
I love everything about this salad; the squash, the cranberries, the cranberry dressing! Awesome all around. Happy VVP!
Thanks Anna! I’m thinking of making this for Thanksgiving! The dressing is so easy and delicious!