Fall

Miso Masala Kabocha & Cauliflower Quinoa Salad

by:
January 31, 2014
4
4 Ratings
Miso Masala Kabocha & Cauliflower Quinoa Salad
Photo by David Fussell
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This recipe was adapted from the miso-curry delicata squash dish from Heidi Swanson’s Supernatural and inspired by a jar of chaat masala I had left over after making Deb Perlman’s (amazing) lambchops from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Chaat masala continues to blow my mind with its tangy, savory spiciness, here somehow bringing out both the sweetness of the roasted kabocha and the earthiness of the cauliflower. The raw kale stands up to these strong flavors, and its bitterness is tempered when massaged with the dressing. As a bonus, the pistachios and pomegranate arils are packed with antioxidants, so you can feel extra-virtuous while enjoying this hearty, meat-free meal. —Jessie Mai

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 small kabocha squash, about 2 ½ pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1” chunks
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 1 bunch lacinato (or any) kale, destemmed and sliced into 1” ribbons
  • 1/4 cup shiro miso
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala (I used MDH brand)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups broth or water (for the quinoa)
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles (I think feta would also do well)
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
  • salt
  • pepper
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the miso, olive oil, cumin, chaat masala and cayenne (if using). Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture for the dressing.
  3. Toss the squash and cauliflower in the miso-spice mixture, coating everything evenly.
  4. Spread the squash and cauliflower onto a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
  5. Rinse and cook the quinoa according to package directions. (Generally, it’s cooked in a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to broth or water.)
  6. Pour the 2 tablespoons of the reserved miso-spice mixture back into the large bowl and whisk in the lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the kale to the bowl and slowly toss it in the dressing, gently massaging the dressed leaves.
  7. Add the quinoa, vegetables, mint, cheese and pistachios to the bowl and gently mix. Sprinkle pomegranate arils over the top and serve.
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1 Review

sowhoarewe
sowhoarewe October 17, 2014
Made this last night and really enjoyed it but wanted to send out a heads-up on a couple of things. The recipes ingredients don't list lemon, mint or pistachios but they're called for later? I added walnuts bc that's what I had. I think the mint would have been a plus had I known and next time I'd use lime instead of lemon. I find it easiest to chiffonade the kale in the bundle it comes in and THEN wash it. I also mixed the (in my case) seasoned quinoa in with the dressed kale while it was still hot so it wilts a bit. I used a pound of butternut squash (packaged, hey, it was a school night!) and a whole smallish head of cauliflower and that ratio seemed good. Veggies only took 20 minutes to roast, keep and eye out.