Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Tahini Dressing

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad is one of the healthiest foods or salads, and it's filling and nutritious. Drizzle some quick tahini dressing and enjoy your healthy meal.

This roasted vegetable quinoa salad is vegan and gluten-free. This is quick comfort food that you can make easily for dinner on weekdays in as quickly as 30 minutes or even less. However, you can also name this a roasted vegetable quinoa buddha bowl. This is a perfect protein salad for a wholesome meal. You are in the right place if you are looking for some quick vegan dinner recipes.

Well, quinoa is one of the best plant-based sources of protein and fiber for vegetarians and vegans. It's low carb, high protein, and high fiber. Read here about sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans. Also, check the shelf life and storage of quinoa here.

Here, I have added garlic-flavored tahini dressing to my quinoa salad. Tahini sauce is vegan and gluten-free. Tahini is a paste of sesame seeds that adds a nutty flavor. If you want sweetness, add a tsp of maple syrup to the dressing. But I love spicy ones more than sweetness. So here I have added paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper to my garlic tahini dressing.

Can I make this quinoa salad oil-free?

This recipe is a low-fat quinoa salad that is vegan and gluten-free. Again, it's loaded with many veggies that add extra nutrition to the meal. You can also make this quinoa salad completely oil-free. Though we use oil to rub the veggies and saute the tofu here, you can skip oil in this salad with a few modifications. You can bake the tofu with veggies or in a different batch in the oven. Or air fry the veggies and tofu oil-free.

How to make roasted vegetable quinoa salad?

Ingredients Required -

Vegetables - Take whatever veggies you love. I have taken zucchini, summer squash, broccoli. And, some more suggested vegetables can be potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potatoes. Make it more colorful with some ore greens like kale or spinach.

Quinoa - Quinoa is the base ingredient for this salad or quinoa bowl. This is a good source of protein. This is also a quick recipe. If you have some leftover quinoa, that will be an additional time-saver.

Tofu - I have some crispy tofu for this salad, which gave it a crunch and bite. Also, it increases the protein content and makes it perfect for a weight loss diet.

Salad Dressing - I'm using tahini dressing with some garlic and spicy flavor. But you can add any other dressing of your choice.

Instructions to make Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Roast the Vegetables -

Here, I have all baked veggies that made it crunchy. You can pan and pan-fry and saute the veggies for the quinoa salad. Here, you can also add some fresh herbs.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F (200 C). Make bite-sized pieces of vegetables. Spread it evenly on a baking tray. Brush with olive oil. To make this oil-free, take 2 tbsp veg broth and a pinch of salt and pepper. Here you can also add some crushed garlic for extra flavor or replace it with garlic powder. Bake for 20 minutes, turning veggies in midways.

Make Quinoa-

Meanwhile, when veggies are getting baked/ roasted, make quinoa.

Heat water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Then, add pre-washed quinoa to the boiling water. Let it boil on high heat for 2 minutes, and then reduce the flame to low. Cover with a lid and let it simmer.

Cook for 18 - 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Then, open the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Remove from heat and set aside.

Note - There is another way I cook quinoa, i.e., like pasta. Simmer the quinoa in some more water and when it's thoroughly cooked (check using a spoon), drain out the water entirely by using a sieve. This way, you can also get fluffy quinoa. I cook my rice also this way.

Some crunchy greens -

Add some chives, celery sticks, cilantro or green onions to the salad

Crisp the tofu -

Take soy sauce or tofu, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well. Place the pressed tofu in a pouch and pour in the prepared mixture. Marinate tofu for 10 - 15 minutes in the mix. After 15 minutes, remove the tofu pieces from the marination mixture and crisp by pan-frying, baking, or air-frying. And saute till it's a bit crispy on all sides. Follow the recipe of my crispy tofu for a detailed recipe.

WFPB option - Place the marinated tofu on a baking tray and bake at 400F for 20 - 25 minutes.

Tahini Dressing -

In this roasted vegetable quinoa salad, I have added tahini dressing. Tahini is blended with garlic, paprika, cayenne, and lemon juice. This dressing is just excellent and makes the salad even more flavorful. This tahini dressing is oil-free as well.

Assemble in a mixing bowl.

Now, take a large mixing bowl and assemble all the ingredients. Drizzle some tahini and green onions on top. Mix them well and serve.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

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