We are all enjoying fall and what this time of year brings.

Hayrides, scholastic sports, fall festivals and simply busy running to the store for fall decorations is filling our days. Then it comes time to packing a lunch for work, working from home and planning quick easy lunches when we take that half-hour break.

What if, with this nice weather, we decide to grill a steak or a veggie burger on the grill outside.

This fall quinoa salad would be a great side dish, weekday working or college lunch or even a nice Sunday lunchtime meal side for your vegan friends or family.

For those friends that would enjoy this salad as a main dish? Simply add a protein like tofu or fish, salmon or grilled chicken.

Before we talk about holiday baking and those types of sugary treats, let’s spend a few moments making a fresh, light, flavorful and healthy fall salad to accompany any meal.

Fall Quinoa Salad

Serves 4-6

¾ cup of dry quinoa, uncooked

1 — 5 ounce bag of spinach or kale, raw (if kale, off the stem and thinly sliced)

2 cups of butternut squash, roasted and small dice

½ cup of Craisins

1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds, toasted

1 — 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I love cooking my own dry chickpeas.)

¼ cup of fresh ginger, peeled and julienne-style

2 shallots, thinly sliced into rings

½ teaspoon of smoked paprika

½ teaspoon of coriander

½ teaspoon of ground cumin

¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of allspice

1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, optional

Salt and black pepper, to taste

ginger balsamic dressing

¼ cup of avocado oil and a little more for recipe

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

3 quarters of a tablespoon of maple syrup

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Cold-water rinse the quinoa and then cook it, as package directs. Allow to cool, while you prep other salad ingredients.

Set your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, to a medium pan add ¼ cup of avocado oil (from the dressing ingredients) and thinly sliced ginger. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the ginger is golden brown and crisp.

Remove the ginger, keeping the oil in the pan. Add your shallots to the oil. Fry the shallots over medium heat until crisp. Remove the shallots and place them with the ginger.

Take a tablespoon of this oil now, and add it to your chickpeas in a bowl. With the chick peas and oil, add in all of the spices. This is, add in your smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne pepper. Toss to coat the chickpeas. Roast the chickpeas, for about 15 minutes or until crisp.

Add your remaining pan oil to a small bowl and mix it with the other dressings ingredients, which are the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Set the dressing aside.

In a large salad bowl, combine all of the remaining salad ingredients. Add in the chickpeas, shallots and ginger. Pour in the dressing. Lightly toss your salad. Serve right away and store leftovers in the refrigerator. Keeps well for up to five days.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (www.escoffier.edu). She is a former line cook for Chef Robert Irvine at “Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine” which was located at the Downtown Allentown Market. Sarah is currently working as a Sous-Chef and pastry chef at Ateira’s on First. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.