I was never a fan of rice. I figured if I were to indulge in carbs I would rather opt for crispy hot roast potatoes or warm crusty bread, both smothered in cold Lurpack.
But over a year ago I stopped eating meat and thanks to Ottolenghi delicious grain salads entered my life-although I have since replaced beans with eggs and occasional fish to top my low iron levels.

I know I am one of a few people who have a stocked pantry like I do and can manage to whip this up (including the old hard dates from my smoothie cupboard).

That said, I would not change a thing, and wrote down each ingredient meticulously because this turned out to be a winner.

I ate it plain last night and today I added a small piece of salmon (cooked for my family). Unless I am following a specific recipe I always cook salmon the same method: Fry skin side down in a hot pan, turn over, sear, add Indonesian soy sauce and reduce. Remove skin-only serve this if you can finish it off until crisp in the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 yellow sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 small red onion sliced or 2 packets of Woolworth’s ready sliced red onion
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Maldon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 small punnet spring onion, sliced
• ½ small about (15g) fresh coriander, chopped
• ½ tub Woolworth’s microgreens
• ½ packet radishes, sliced on a mandolin
• 1/2-1 punnet mung bean sprouts

• 1 cup of brown and wild rice, cooked with 2 cups water until firm
• ½ cup red quinoa cooked with 1 cup of water
• About ½ cup of chopped dates. If you have soft Medjool dates, then just chop them and add them into the cooked starch. Mine were a tad hard so I added the chopped dates into the quinoa pot toward the end of cooking to soften.

Instructions

1. Place the onion at the bottom of a roasting pan with a piece of non-stick mat or baking paper.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients and place on top of the onions. Make sure there is sufficient oil
3. Roast at 180˚C until cooked, tossing the vegetables into the onions after about 20 minutes. This will ensure the onions do not brown ahead of the squash.
4. Combine all the ingredients-you’ll find the flavour comes from the roasted squash and all it’s spices and olive oil. Serve undressed.

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