My favourite salad (this week at least)

I want to tell you about my current favourite work lunch;

It's vegan, glutard safe, and ... smashing!

This salad is one of those depends-on-what's-in-the-fridge arrangements... But I have some staple faves, along these lines:

Roasted pumpkin:

Fresh pumpkin (butternut, jap, kent, whatever you have)

Drizzle in oil of voice - I use olive

Season with spices of choice, I suggest cinnamon and cumin as essentials, sometimes I add cayene or paprika too.

Roast in oven at 180-200C until cooked and preferably a little caramelised ;)

[use any roasted veg that you like here, sweet spud, spud, capsicum, carrot, beetroot... Fill your boots]

I make a big batch of pumpkin a few days ahead and refrigerate until required (up to 3 days usually ok).

Make a batch of quinoa ("keen wah", or "kin-o-a" depending on which side of the train line you're from. Quinoa is some kind of ancient grain. Super food! 

Follow packet instructions. (Boil it!) refrigerate til required.

Assemble the salad. Here are my favorite ingreds:

- quinoa

- pumpkin

- spinach leaves

- shredded purple cabbage

- mint leaves chopped 

- coriander leaves and stalks chopped

- spring onion finely sliced

- hazelnuts - chopped

- grated carrot

- rocquette leaves chopped

- baby tomatoes

Dressing:

- pumpkin seed oil (or any other yummy oil like avocado, olive)

- citrus juice (I like a combo of lemon and lime

When taking this for work, I dress the salad in the morning, but toss just before eating at lunch time.

So freaking tasty, healthy. Be good to your body and try this salad. 

Ups to Mrs Jac Jac for introducing me to the concept via her fab roast sweet potato and quinoa salad on New Years!