Moroccan Pumpkin Salad

By Jacqueline Alwill on June 10, 2018 in Food

Insanely good.

I’m fairly in love with pumpkin right now and this super robust dish really speaks for just how insanely good pumpkins are. The nature of the pumpkin carries spices such as sweet paprika, turmeric and cinnamon so well, not to mention that by adding these culinary spices we add small amounts of valuable nutrients to our diet.
Everything adds up, just remember that, and don’t dismiss the value that a little bit here and a little bit there adds to the overall nutritional content of our diet – think of all fruits, veggies, herbs and spices as your multivitamins and it will take you on the right path to health.
This vegan recipe serves six people as a side and is completely gluten, dairy and sugar free.

Ingredients
1.5kg pumpkin (Kent or Japanese), peeled and cut into 3cm thick wedges
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup baby spinach
¼ cup organic Turkish apricots, sliced
400g tin organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
80g cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup sultanas or raisins
⅓ cup almonds, roughly chopped
¼ cup pepitas
½ bunch parsley
½ lemon
Plenty of sea salt and black pepper

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper;
2. Place the pumpkin wedges on the tray, drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and a pinch of sea salt and use your hands to rub the olive oil and spices into the pumpkin;
3. Cook in the oven for 45-60 minutes;
4. Once the pumpkin is cooked, remove from oven and allow it to cool (you can also serve it warm);
5. Transfer to a serving platter (or just use the oven tray if you wish) and toss baby spinach, apricots, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, sultanas or raisins, almonds, pepitas and parsley through the pumpkin pieces;
6. Give the dish a big squeeze of lemon juice, season with black pepper and serve.