Zoup! provided me with product for the purpose of this post, as well as compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Sweet and Savory Quinoa Pilaf with Cranberries, Roasted Butternut, and Toasted Almonds is packed with flavor and nutrition, and is the perfect addition to any holiday spread or fall gathering.
We all have our classic holiday side dish standbys. Green bean casserole, candied yams, and buttery mashed potatoes, to name just a few of my family’s favorites. I’ll occasionally do a rice dish (typically a pilaf) of some kind, and just to mix things up, I thought why not a quinoa pilaf?
The secret ingredient in this sweet and savory quinoa is a spice that’s more frequently used in sweet baked goods than savory meals: cinnamon! Actually though, cinnamon is a common ingredient as part of a spice blend in quite a few savory Middle Eastern and Indian dishes and that’s what gave me the idea to add it to this pilaf. (Plus there’s the fact that fall, cranberries, butternut squash and cinnamon just feel right together.)
You can tell just by looking at all those gorgeous colors that this is a healthy salad, but its nutrition goes past what you can see. I used Zoup! Chicken Bone Broth as the liquid to cook the quinoa, which is a great way to bump up both the flavor and nutrition. Zoup! is cooked in kettles in small batches, low in calories, paleo-friendly, zero carb, and completely free of hormones, gluten, GMO’s, fat, trans fat and saturated fat.
One of the interesting things about Zoup! is that it started in the soup business as a fast-casual franchise chain of restaurants, and is now also bringing restaurant-quality broth to supermarkets. I always love it when my favorite restaurants make their products available for home cooks! Zoup!’s broth can be purchased at retailers nationwide, including Albertsons, The Fresh Market, Giant, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Rouse’s, Gelson’s, Central Market, Fresh Thyme and Safeway. Get a $1 off coupon by heading over to their site. Reach out to [email protected] with any questions and check them out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
What’s your family’s go-to festive side dish?
- 1½ tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), melted
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb (450 g) butternut squash, peeled and cubed into ½-inch pieces (about 3 heaping cups cubed)
- 1½ tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup (170 g) white quinoa, rinsed under cool running water and drained
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1¾ cups (415 ml) Zoup! Chicken Bone Broth, heated to a simmer
- ½ cup organic dried whole cranberries
- 4 cups baby kale or arugula
- ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet on the stovetop or in a 325F oven for 10 minutes
- For the squash, preheat oven to 425F. Toss together the melted ghee, salt, black pepper, and squash, and spread out on a large baking sheet. Roast until tender inside and golden outside, about 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
- Meanwhile, for the quinoa, heat the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the quinoa and cook until it starts to smell nutty, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the salt, cinnamon, black pepper, bone broth, and cranberries. Bring to a boil, cover the saucepan and turn the heat down to low. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the quinoa sit with the lid on for 10 minutes before fluffing.
- To serve, arrange the greens on a large serving platter. Spread out the quinoa onto the greens, and add the butternut on top. Sprinkle on the almonds. Serve.
: : GIVEAWAY : :
Thank you to Zoup! for sponsoring this giveaway; they are giving away four jars of their Zoup! Good, Really Good Chicken Bone Broth to one lucky winner!
To participate in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post telling me what you would make with this bone broth.
For extra entries, you can do any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each so they can be counted as additional entries):
- Tell me your favorite holiday side dish!
- Like An Edible Mosaic on Facebook.
- Like Zoup! on Facebook.
- Share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest using the hashtag #ZoupBroth and handle @AnEdibleMosaic.
You do not need to have a blog to enter this giveaway. To enter, you must be at least 18 years old. For shipping purposes, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents and we are not able to ship to P.O. boxes. This giveaway ends on October 27, 2017 at 11:59 PM EST. Once the giveaway ends, the winner will be randomly chosen and notified via email. The winner will have three business days to respond with his or her mailing information, otherwise a new winner will be randomly chosen. Good luck to all!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
I would make chicken and rice soup.
I followed Zoup! on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/annette.prejean/posts/1714633411889296?pnref=story
I already liked your Facebook page.
My favorite holiday side dish is cornbread dressing. I use an old recipe that has fresh herbs and pecans from my day’s trees.
I’d use it to make my favorite soups, like Tuscan Vegetable Soup.
I love these fall flavors, what a beautiful side dish!
I like Zoup! on Facebook as Dandi Daffyhill.
I like your page on Facebook as Dandi Daffyhill.
My favorite holiday side dish is sweet potato casserole.
I would make some fall soups for sure!
My favorite side dish for any meal is maple flavored mashed sweet potatoes — with Texas pecans on top!
I think the broth would be perfect for chicken noodle soup!
my favorite holiday side is roasted sweet potatoes!
i would make lentil soup!
I’d keep it simple with some mayocobas, greens, garlic & some root veg for bulk.
I’ve been making a lot of different soups this year and would love to try this one!
You have to love a really good chicken broth, and I know exactly what I would make with mine — plenty of delicious brothy soups with noodles and carrots and pieces of seared sausage. :) Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
I would make a white chicken chili!
I’ve been watching for Zoup at my Giant Eagle! I am a soup freak and need to get lots of protein so I need Zoup now!!
I would love to try using Zoup in your recipe for Sweet and Savory Quinoa Pilaf with Cranberries, Roasted Butternut, and Toasted Almonds. My favorite holiday side dish is always something with cranberries.
I straight just want to drink this broth in a mug and sit back and relax <33
I would make chicken noodle soup
I would warm it up and drink it
Favorite holiday side dish is broccoli casserole!
I would make chicken soup and use it for cooking rice. Thanks for the giveaway!
I shared on Twitter at https://twitter.com/1froglegs/status/921413449678315520
I Like Zoup! on Facebook.as Tim Lintz
I Like An Edible Mosaic on Facebook.as Tim Lintz
My favorite side dish is cornbread stuffing. I like bread stuffing as well, but I grew up on the cornbread variety.
We use broth primarily for gravy, so that is most likely what we would use these for. Soups and stews are also a likely option.
This sounds interesting as neither my husband or I have found that we really like quinoa. I have some in the cupboard though and this recipe might just win us both so I will certainly try. Think we live too far away sadly for the giveaway but it sounds delicious. Have a good day Diane
i dont know what it taste like but i would use a little for some dressing a small batch to see if i like it then id use it for thanksgiving
I like you on facebook
I like Zoup on facebook
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/921356563893407745
I love stuffing.
I would make chicken noodle soup.