This delicious winter salad is full of seasonal produce and packed with flavour.

Roasted vegetables tossed with quinoa and brown rice and topped with a coconut tahini sauce is the perfect way to up your vege intake and get those healthy grains in. This winter salad uses pumpkin, carrot and kumara which are all readily available through the cooler months, but these can be swapped out with your preferred seasonal veges.

This recipe uses Cathedral Cove Lite Coconut Yoghurt to create a delicious healthy dressing. Coconut Yoghurt is a healthy, dairy-free alternative to traditional yoghurt and is a great staple to keep in the fridge, perfect for topping your granola, creating dressings, adding a creamy texture to soups or delicious cheesecake. It offers a range of health benefits such as being rich in probiotics, which can help improve gut health and boost the immune system.

Coconut yoghurt is also high in healthy fats and low in sugar, making it a good option for people looking to manage their weight or blood sugar levels. Additionally, it is a vegan and gluten-free option that can be enjoyed by people with dietary restrictions or preferences.

Winter meals can often fall into comfort eating territory, warming soups, hearty slow cooked meals and satisfying pasta dishes become staples, adding a new winter salad to your weekday recipe rotation is a great alternative and a great way to get those veges in. This can be served on its own, or add your favourite protein.

Roasted Vegetable, Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad with Coconut Tahini Sauce
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/4 large pumpkin, cut into cubes
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 large kumara, cut into cubes
• 1 red onion, slices into wedges
• 3/4 cup quinoa and brown rice mix (or grain of choice)
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped (or any nut or seed of choice)
• Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper

Coconut, Tahnini Sauce

• 1/2 cup Cathedral Cove naturals Lite Coconut Yoghurt
• 1/4 cup tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 1-2 Tbsp water (optional if you're using a thick tahini)

Instructions

1. Prehead the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
2. Add the vegetables to a large baking tray (you may need to spread it across two trays).
3. Drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
4. Cook the brown rice and quinoa mix as per packet instructions. Once cooked, drizzle over the apple cider vinegar, 3 tbsp of olive oil and add the parsley: set aside.
5. To make the suace, add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to combine.
6. Toss the roasted veggies through the brown rice and quinoa mixture, dollop over the coconut tahini sauce, sprinkle over the chopped pistachios and enjoy!

Cathedral Cove Naturals Lite Coconut Yoghurt is available from Countdown or New World Newmarket.
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