So… if you’ve scrolled through my Instagram feed you’ve probably seen a fair few “deconstructed salad bowls”. They are my staple during the week for school lunches and easy dinners. They are perfect because I just throw in a bowl a whole variety of mis-matched plant-based ingredients that I find in the kitchen and they always seem to taste incredible!
It is about time I give to you all a salad recipe, with hopefully many, many more to come. After all, these “nourishment bowls” do take up a majority of my diet! So I thought I’d share with you this one, a filling, wintery yet refreshing salad full of paprika roasted pumpkin, fluffy quinoa, crunchy capsicum, cherry tomatoes, fennel, spring onion, fresh green rocket and walnuts with the occasional chew of a sweet raisin.
All these beautiful, fresh and bright ingredients make a super delicious, unexpected combination. The pumpkin and the quinoa make this dish perfectly suitable as a lunch or dinner on its own (as I often eat it) or as a beautiful side salad to accompany something else. Feel free to switch up any of the ingredients in this recipe if you don’t happen to have them on hand. Any fresh, raw vegetables could replace the capsicum and fennel: whatever’s to your liking! It is almost impossible to taste bad when all the ingredients are that good.
Now, why not go and make your next meal a simple and nutritious one. A meal your body (and tastebuds) will thank you for?! Enjoy lovelies xx
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup raw quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to packet directions (or find out how here)
- 1/2 medium sized butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into rough 2cm cubes
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp paprika
- pinch of himalayan salt
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 red capsicum, finely chopped
- 1/2 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup rocket, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup raisins/sultanas
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 200ºC. Place pumpkin cubes, olive oil, paprika and salt into baking dish/tray and toss. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, or until just golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside to cool whilst you chop up the rest of the ingredients.
- Simple – just assemble and toss! Put all of those lovely chopped ingredients in your favourite big serving bowl and toss around!
- You can make a simple dressing by drizzling with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil.
Naturally Tess 