Red quinoa and roasted red cabbage salad with butternut squash, apple and herb baked falafels

To bake big chunks of red cabbage in the oven until soft but tender is my favourite way to cook red cabbage. In this salad I toss the cabbage around with some quinoa, small bites of butternut squash, thinly sliced apple and herby falafels! 

I roll my falafels in sesame seeds and bake them all at the same time at a baking sheet in the oven. Makes them really crisp but still healthy! You could serve this salad with an avocado dressing or any nut dressing that you like, but I actually prefer to just drizzle a really good cold pressed olive oil over the whole thing. 

Roasted red cabbage salad with butternut squash, apple and herb baked falafels

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium red cabbage 

1 small butternut squash 

2 dl red quinoa, uncooked 

1 apple 

100 grams mixed salad leaves 

Baked herb falafels

450 grams pre cooked white beans (2 packages or 8 dl) 

1 dl sunflower seeds (preferably toasted)

2 dl fresh herbs of your choice 

1 dl sorghum flour (quinoa-/buckwheat-/oat flour works just at fine)

1/2 tsp himalayan salt

2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil 

2 pinches freshly ground black pepper 

1 dl sesame seeds for coating 

How to

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees. Mix white beans, sunflower seeds, herbs, flour, oil, salt and pepper until a sticky and semi smooth "batter" - you want to keep the texture from the sunflower seeds! Ad a bit of water if to dry, and a bit more flour if to wet. Let sit for 20 minutes, this helps the falafels stay together even better when rolling/baking/eating. Form in to falafel, about 20 pieces, and roll in sesame seeds. Place on a oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until crispy on the outside. 

Remove the stalk bit from the cabbage and cut the rest in to big chunks. Brush with oil and place on a baking tray. 

Peel (start with removing the ends, then cut the squash in half lengthwise, and then in half on the width. Carefully cut of the peel using a sharp knife), scrape out seeds and stringy bits and cube butternut squash  Drizzle with oil and place beside the cabbage. Bake in the oven until both cabbage and squash gets soft and golden around the edges, takes about 20-25 minutes. 

Cook the quinoa according to instructions on the packaging.  

Thinly slice the apple using a mandoline, or a sharp knife. 

Mix cabbage, squash, quinoa, apple and salad leaves. Serve with herb falafels and drizzle with your favourite cold pressed oil!