Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread out the cubes of pumpkin (see notes section for how to cut a pumpkin if needed) on a baking sheet. Pour the olive oil over the pumpkin along with the sea salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Rub the spices and oil into the cubes of pumpkin with your hands or toss well with a spatula. Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour until soft.

While the pumpkin is cooking, make the quinoa according to package directions. Once the quinoa is nice and fluffy in the pot, I like to run cold water over it to cool it down slightly before I mix all the salad ingredients together. Simply add some cold water to the pot and strain after a few minutes.

In a large bowl, add the quinoa, roasted pumpkin, chopped pecans, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Toss well to combine.

Prepare the dressing by adding the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic powder, and sea salt to a bowl or jar. Whisk well with a spoon to incorporate the ingredients. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and toss again to distribute. There will be excess dressing that accumulates in the bottom of the bowl. As the salad sits, the quinoa will absorb it which is what we want!

When ready to serve, crumble the goat cheese over top of the salad, give it a little toss, and enjoy!