Much like the super-hero team-ups of the movies, when these super-foods team up, it will turn a lot of heads at the dinner table.
Ingredients:
2 cups of raw quinoa
2 apples of choice diced, green or gala apples are preferred
10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
½ cup of dried cranberries (optional)
½ cup of raisins(optional)
2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
75 ml of cider vinegar
250 ml of olive oil
1 Butternut squash cut into approx 1 inch cuts (will give about 3 or 4 cups depending on size but today we'll only use one cup. Save the rest and make squash soup with it!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of allspice
½ ground cloves
Method:
Put your raw quinoa in a pot and rinse it in water; drain of the water after it’s covered twice, then cover it with 3.5 cups of water. Add to the water, a sprinkle of salt, a teaspoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of cider vinegar.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook on medium heat until all the water is gone and the quinoa is fully cooked. This takes approximately 10 to 14 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, evenly cover the butternut squash with 100 ml of olive oil, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and a tablespoon of honey. Cook in oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
In a bowl, let's make the dressing by combining mustard, cider vinegar, a tablespoon of honey and the rest of the olive oil - add salt if desired. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool until the quinoa salad is ready to be made.
Once the quinoa is cooked, stir it lightly with a fork. You want to fluff up and separate the grains of quinoa from each other, making it light & fluffy, while it is still warm.
Transfer the quinoa into a bowl and add apples, tomatoes, cranberries, raisins, squash and dressing. It is important to do this while the quinoa is hot/warm; it will absorb and enhance the flavor of all ingredients. The heat will cook the apples slightly, allowing it to hold for a longer period of time without browning. Let the salad cool for 10 minutes before serving. The longer it sits, the more flavor will be in the salad. I suggest serving this an hour after making it. 
