This tasty, hearty quinoa salad can be eaten warm or cold
Roast pumpkin
| 500 g | Pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2-3cm chunks (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 2 Tbsp | Balsamic vinegar |
| 1 Tbsp | Runny honey |
Quinoa salad
| 1 cup | Red quinoa |
| 1 ½ cups | Vegetable stock, or chicken stock, or water |
| ⅓ cup | Olives, chopped (green or kalamata) |
| 8 | Dates, (preferably medjool dates), chopped |
| 1 | Avocado, firm, ripe, sliced |
| 1 punnet | Cherry tomatoes, halved |
| ½ cup | Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped, or coriander |
| ½ cup | Mint leaves, sliced |
| 1 | Lemon, juice |
| 1 splash | Extra virgin olive oil |
To serve
| 150 g | Haloumi cheese, sliced 5cm thick |
| 3 handfuls | Sango sprouts, or any sprouts |
Directions
- Heat oven to 200C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
- Toss pumpkin with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey in prepared tray.
- Roast until slightly caramelised, 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine quinoa and stock/water (with a pinch of salt) in a medium-size pot and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to lowest heat to cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and leave to steam, still covered, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff up quinoa grains with a fork and toss with roast pumpkin and remaining quinoa salad ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan on medium heat and cook haloumi slices for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, and melted on the inside.
- To serve:Divide quinoa salad between bowls and top with slices of cooked haloumi and a small handful of sprouts.
Tp: Quinoa is a high-protein grain-like crop, that is actually not a grain but a seed and thus is gluten-free. You could use bulghur wheat instead of the quinoa and a sprinkling