Roast pumpkin Salad recipe

I can't remember where I first came across this recipe, I have written it in my recipe book and have then proceeded to change it a million times.

BUT what i come up with is this which really enjoy and that keeps for a few days so it is great for lunches.

RECIPE (for about 4 serves)

• 1kg pumpkin roasted ( i used what ever pumpkin is cheapest)
• a tin of chickpeas (you can get dried and soak them but this is easiest)
• a bag of baby spinach or rocket (or the original recipe uses flat parsley)
• olive oil
• slivered Almonds or pine nuts or both
• Sugar (optional)
• garlic (optional)

1. pre-heat oven to 200 degrees
2. Cut pumpkin into slighlty larger than bite sized pieces (it shrinks) place into a roasting pan and drizzle some olive oil over the top and toss through. (You can also scatter a tablespoon of sugar over the pumpkin to caramelise it but I often don't' bother.) I sometimes roast some garlic with the pumpkin to get a little different flavour
3. Put pumpkin into oven and roast untill soft and a little crispy (usually an hour or so)
4. GO and have a cuppa
5. drain chickpeas and either roast in the oven (to warm not to crunchy), or in a pan on stove top
6. toast almonds or pine nuts or both lightly. I find it is easier on top of stove in a non stick pan but can also be done in the oven
7. toss it all together and enjoy!

I often add some chicken to the salad to make it more filling.

DRESSING 
I make a very basic olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper to dress this with.
You could buy a simple pre-made dressing, or use your favourite.

HOT OR COLD???

I like it both ways, though I have learnt to keep the ingredients separate until I am ready to eat as the pumpkin does strange things to the greens. So I put the pumpkin and chickpeas together in the fridge, leaves separate and store the toasted nuts in the cupboard! EASY!

Homemade Hummus

I love Hummus, I didn't know it existed (other than on lebanese kebabs) until a few years ago but I really enjoy it now, and I make it at home. It is sooooo cheep and easy to make as long as you have a blender or food processor.

I make a basic mix and often that is as far as it goes, but sometimes I get the urge to make things a little more interesting and today was one of those days.

I start off with this basic recipe

Hummus

Ingredients:
2 to 3 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or 2x 12-15 oz. cans, rinsed well
2 Tbs. cumin spice
Juice from one lemon
3 Tbs. olive oil
Up to ½ cup water
Salt to taste
¼-½ cup raw sesame tahini
1 large clove garlic
Directions:
Prepare cooked chickpeas (or canned). Combine at least 2 cups of beans, water and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients.
The reason this recipe calls for 2-3 cups of beans is because some people like hummus thinner than others. Having the extra beans available gives you a chance to find the consistency you like.

From here I like to fiddle. Most of the time I add more lemon and Cumin. ..... Oh and then it gets interesting

Today I used three tins of chickpeas becuase I wanted to make three different flavours in the end. So on top of the recipie i used a tin of beetroot and about a quarter of a pumpkin roasted.

Chickpeas, olive oil and water

Add all the rest and blitz, then i added more lemon juice and cumin

2 thirds of the mix I put aside and left a third in the processor for......

adding the roast pumpkin to.....

then another blitz till it is nice and smooth

and it is now ROAST PUMPKIN HUMMUS

Put another third of the basic HUMMUS mix back into blender with a tin of Beetroot

Blitz until smooth and you have BEETROOT HUMMUS

WALAH! ORIGINAL, BEETROOT AND HUMMUS DIPS

NOTE:

I don't bother washing the processor between flavours, I just make sure beetroot is always last. I have also done carrot, and other suggestions are sundried tomatoes, black beans or even parsley.

OH and I always split the mixes and freeze half, saves waste and that means I can make big batches and not get bored with the same flavour. AND there is always one in there if I get visitors!


What do you cook in batches??