Pumpkin & Quinoa Salad

Vegetarian/gluten Free/nut Free Serves 4–6

INGREDIENTS

• 500g pumpkin

• 4 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 Tbsp honey

• salt and pepper to taste

• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup/200g uncooked quinoa

• 2 cups/500ml water

• 100g feta

DRESSING

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard

• ¼ cup mint leaves

• salt to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (or 170°C fan bake).

2. Cut the pumpkin into 2cm cubes and remove the seeds. I don’t peel the pumpkin as the roasting process softens the skin.

3. Lay the pieces in a single layer on an oven tray.

4. Drizzle the pumpkin pieces with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the ground coriander and honey. (If the honey is solid, warm it first to make it liquid.) Season with salt and pepper.

5. Roast for 20–25 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and slightly caramelised. In the last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and let them bake alongside the pumpkin.

6. While the pumpkin is baking, rinse the quinoa with water in a sieve, then add it to a saucepan.

7. Pour over 2 cups of water.

8. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed the water, then remove the saucepan from the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then use a fork to fluff it up a little.

9. To mix the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and use a stick blender to blitz it into a creamy dressing. Add salt to taste. Alternatively, finely shred the mint leaves and combine them and the other dressing ingredients in a jar. Seal the jar and shake well to combine.

10. To serve, let the pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and quinoa cool for 5 minutes, then combine in a bowl. Crumble over the feta and drizzle on the dressing. Toss together to coat.

Homegrown Happiness: A Kiwi Guide to Living Off the Suburban Land by Elien Lewis published by Bateman Books

RRP $39.99

Release date: August 9