Name: Vegan Freekeh Salad with Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Raisins
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 1½ cups whole freekeh; Salt and pepper; 1½ pounds butternut squash , peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (4 cups); 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek; ⅓ cup golden raisins; 2½ tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons tahini; 1 garlic clove , minced; 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro; ⅓ cup walnuts , toasted and chopped

Why This Recipe Works

Roasting the squash resulted in lightly charred, beautifully caramelized edges; to give the squash more dimension, we paired it with fenugreek, a nutty seed with a unique maple-like flavor. To bring the two elements together, we stirred in a rich yet bright tahini-lemon dressing. A little extra sweetness came in the form of plumped raisins. Toasted walnuts offered complementary crunch, and a generous amount—one whole cup—of chopped cilantro gave the salad freshness in spades.

Before You Begin

We prefer the texture of whole, uncracked freekeh; cracked freekeh can be substituted, but you will need to decrease the freekeh cooking time in step 1.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add freekeh and 1 tablespoon salt, return to boil, and cook until grains are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain freekeh, spread over rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. (Cooled freekeh can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Meanwhile, toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil, fenugreek, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Spread on rimmed baking sheet and roast until well browned and tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting; let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Combine raisins and ¼ cup hot tap water in small bowl and let sit until softened, about 5 minutes; drain.

Whisk lemon juice, tahini, 1 tablespoon water, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in large bowl until smooth. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining ¼ cup oil. Add cooled freekeh, squash, plumped raisins, cilantro, and walnuts and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.