This is a vegan dish and it is also a full meal. Some roasted winter root vegetables, some nuts and fruits, herbs, and a pungent mustard dressing. There is some cooking involved, but it is basically all about the knife work because size here really does matter. Ideally you want to mingle all the flavours in a single bite, so take your time and work on your knife skills.
Prepare a baking dish with parchment paper, and heat oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
Spread out on the dish, and oil well (with a brush or in a bowl with your hands):
Celeriac root, peeled and cut into 3 cm rounds
Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3 cm rounds
Roast until easily pierced with the tip of a knife but not completely mushy. Allow to cool and cut into 1 - 0,5 cm cubes.
While the vegetables are in the oven, bring a pot of water to the boil and add:
Quinoa
Cook for 10 minutes. Drain immediately and spread out on a baking dish so that it cools down quickly.
Put the vegetables and quinoa in a bowl and add, mixing everything very well:
Pear, chose a crunchy variety, very thinly diced
Chestnuts (I buy cooked and vacuum packed), crashed, or thinly sliced
Spring Onions, both green and white parts, very thinly sliced
Parsley (or other preferred herb), very thinly cut
For the dressing (which is a thick mustard dressing, do not confuse with a vinaigrette whose consistency is much thinner) shake together:
Wholegrain mustard, at least 2 volumes
Lemon juice, 1 volume
Olive oil, 1 volume
Salt, to taste
Stir the dressing into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle
Extra Virgin Olive Oil just before serving
Note on quantities
You want a lot of everything to mingle with the quinoa, with the exception maybe of the celeriac root which has a strong taste but should not be the predominant flavour. So I would say equal volumes of sweet potato, pear, and chestnut, and half that volume of celeriac. Go wild on the herbs and spring onions and be generous with the mustard in the dressing.