Pumpkin & seed salad with a creamy, zesty almond oil dressing

September 07, 2023

This salad is fresh, colourful and filling. Great on its own to take to work for lunch or perfect as a side dish at dinner. Quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds provide lots of fibre, minerals and protein. The creamy dressing is great for the salad but also lovely over grilled fish, meat or tofu

You'll need for the salad:

1 butternut pumpkin (cut into 1.5cm cubes)
1 large sprig of rosemary or thyme (leaves removed and finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
drizzle of Sunflower oil for roasting
100g combo of favourite seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame etc)
200g cooked quinoa
zest of 1 lemon (from dressing recipe below)
1TBSP Almond oil
small bag of salad leaves (spinach/rocket/mizuna etc)
large handful of raisins or cranberries
handful of fresh herbs chopped finely (dill, parsley, mint)
salt and pepper

For the dressing you'll need:

3/4 cup plain yoghurt (Greek or coconut for vegan option)
1 large garlic clove minced
Juice 1 large lemon (~2 TBSP lemon juice)
1/4 cup Almond oil
small handful of fresh mint finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt and pepper (or to taste)
little bit of water to adjust thickness

Method:

Mix the pumpkin with rosemary/thyme, salt & pepper, garlic and a generous drizzle of sunflower oil. Then place on a tray and put into an oven preheated to 200C, roast until caramelized and fork tender. set aside to cool slightly
Mix all dressing ingredients except water in a bowl or food processor. If too thick to drizzle add a little water and mix, repeating until desired thickness
Mix Almond oil, lemon zest, chopped mixed herbs into quinoa (save a little of herbs for garnish)
Assemble the salad with greens at bottom, then quinoa mix, then pumpkin then seeds and dried fruits
Drizzle creamy dressing over the whole salad or individual portions