Pumpkin & chickpea salad

July 28, 2013

Here's a simple salad that sits equally well on a dinner plate, at a potluck table or in a lunchbox. Pumpkin and chickpeas supply all the carbohydrate and protein power needed to consider this a whole meal - not to mention the flavour spikes from lemon, ginger and coriander - but it could equally play side salad to baked tofu, a stuffed vegetable or curry.

Slicing and baking pumpkin can be a minor hassle, but there's little more to this recipe; it probably only needs 10 minutes of active time in the kitchen. We're having a slightly harried month, and Robyn's Recipe Calendar could not have offered us a more relevant recipe.

Pumpkin & chickpea salad
(most likely sourced from here)

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into cubes
3 cloves garlic, skin still on
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small handful fresh coriander, chopped
400g can chickpeas, drained
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon minced ginger

Preheat an oven to 180°C.

Place the pumpkin cubes and garlic cloves in a large baking tray and drizzle over half the olive oil, tossing it through the pumpkin. Bake the pumpkin for 20-30 minutes, until tender but still holding its shape.

Transfer the pumpkin to a serving bowl. Peel the garlic cloves, smush them up and add them to the bowl. Gently stir through the coriander and chickpeas. 

Whisk together the lemon juice, remaining tablespoon of oil, and the ginger. Pour it over the salad and gently stir it through.