Just because it’s November doesn’t mean you can’t eat salad… but when I look back at my recipe posts and see that I haven’t given you a salad recipe since June… JUNE!!!… I berate myself. This might lead you to believe I only eat salad in American summer. ‘Tis not true, friends! I eat some sort of salad nearly every day. However, I reckon most of them are not worthy of a whole post, only one sentence: lettuce, arugula, &/or shredded cabbage, as many veggies as I can shove in there, some canned chickpeas or possibly a crumbled up veggie burger, the salad seeds, and a basic lemon vinaigrette dressing that always lives in my fridge.
But I had time this past weekend to make a really beautiful & interesting salad, worthy of the time I spent on the pictures (and the time you’ll spend reading this post!) So here you go… and may reading & looking be a pleasant distraction to you from watching the U.S. election results come in, as writing & editing has been to me.
The truly lovely thing about this salad is the dressing: it uses pumpkin seed oil, which has a beautiful green colour & nutty flavour that enhances the salad greens and complements the roasted pumpkin perfectly. Fresh orange juice, apple cider vinegar, & tahini round out the flavours… this is not just your ordinary lemon vinaigrette! You won’t use it all on your salad, but never fear, it won’t go to waste. This dressing is fabulous on every cooked veggie (broccoli, asparagus, roasted beets!) or just a sliced fresh tomato. But do keep it in the fridge because pumpkin seed oil is delicate and will go bad at room temp sooner than other oils.
Feel free (as always!) to experiment with the toppings for this salad- I think avocado would be fantastic, but alas, it’s so hard to find good ones right now in Philippines. Fresh sliced oranges or grapefruit segments would also be nice, or dried cranberries as well. Whatever suits your fancy!
Enjoy, friends, and may God bless America.
Autumn Salad with Roasted Pumpkin & Orange Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 4 cups kale, stems removed, torn into bite size pieces
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 lb pumpkin, seeded, peeled & cubed
- 1 T. olive oil (for roasting the pumpkin)
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup walnuts
- For the dressing:
- juice of ½ an orange
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- 1 T. tahini
- 3 T. pumpkin seed oil
- ½ T. pure maple syrup
- ¼ t. salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To roast the pumpkin:
- Heat the oven to 200C (400F.) Toss the pumpkin with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned on the outside and soft inside. Set aside to cool briefly.
- To make the dressing:
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
- To assemble the salad:
- Place the kale in a large salad bowl. Pour about 1-2 tablespoons of dressing over, the massage it in with your fingers until the kale has wilted a bit.
- Add the spinach & toss to combine.
- Arrange the roasted pumpkin, pomegranate arils, & walnuts on top, and pour over a bit more dressing to your taste.
- Toss and serve. Makes about 4 large (meal-sized) servings or 6 side-dish servings
Omg sounds so delicious….I am definitely making this for my friends I’m staying with when I head back home on Monday….and my family! Actually I think I will make it more than once, for sure! Thank you for the colours and tastes to come…I will definitely be able to add avocado in NZ ❤️😘💕
Hi lovely! Well, you’re there by now & hope you are loving the weather, all the yummy ingredients you can get, and this salad!! 🙂 Enjoy, enjoy!!! xxx