Roasted Pumpkin & Lentil Salad
As dishes generally become heavier and often more indulgent during the colder days, this salad serves as a wonderful side dish to such meals that ensure you are still enjoying a variety of colourful plant foods and nutrients. Or you can simply enjoy this as a lighter lunch, perhaps adding an extra protein source such as an egg, some shredded chicken or some tempeh.
Servings: 4-6 Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
500g pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
Drizzle olive oil
1 tbsp Nigella seeds
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp sea salt
150g kale, hard stem removed and roughly torn
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tahini
Squeeze lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
250g cooked puy or green lentils
2 tbsp roasted walnuts
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C fan and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Toss the pumpkin chunks with olive oil, Nigella seeds, mixed spice and sea salt and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and just turned soft (exact time depends on the size of your chunks!)
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl add the kale, extra virgin olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper and massage the kale leaves using your hands for a couple of minutes until they soften.
- Add the lentils, roasted walnuts and most of the pomegranate seeds (leaving some to scatter on at the end).
- When the pumpkin is cooked, toss this through the salad and serve immediately, either as a side dish or as a main with your favourite protein source.
