Ingredients
- 500g butternut pumpkin, cube half
- 200g baby spinach leaves or spinach bunch (chopped)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for roasting pumpkin
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2-3 Tbsp vinaigrette
Pumpkin and Avocado Salad
Pumpkin and avocado salad, with toasted pine nuts, chopped spinach, and mustard vinaigrette, tossed and served in a pumpkin bowl (optional).
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Place diced pumpkin on a non-stick baking tray and drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Bake for 20 minutes or until tenderised and browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Wash and dry spinach leaves, and chop them up if you’re using bunched English spinach.
Toast your pine nuts in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, tossing and turning until browned and fragrant.
Shake up your salad dressing ingredients vigorously: 3 parts olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar, small dollop of Dijon mustard, freshly chopped garlic clove, salt and pepper to taste.
Toss all the salad ingredients together, along with avocado cubes and vinaigrette to coat.
Serve in a salad bowl, or a scooped out pumpkin for a little extra fun.
Submitted byCERES Fair Food
Tips and Tricks
To avoid wastage, cook and puree pumpkin and store in an air tight container in the freezer. It can then be defrosted for use at a later date.
One way of preventing avocado from going brown is to spray the open surface with cooking oil or lemon juice, as both will slow down the process of oxidisation.
Nuts that are roasted have more flavour, keep longer, and can always be used in recipes that call for nuts, roasted or otherwise. Spread them in a single layer on a sheet pan, bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant.
