09. Juli 2014

Quinoa Lentil Pumpkin Salad

Pumpkin_Salad_2And just like that it’s already mid July. It’s incredible how fast these past months have gone by. In less than three weeks I will be traveling again. This time I’ll start my journey in Riga, a complete new city I know nothing about. (Anyone from Latvia here? I would love to hear some advices for healthy eating in Riga!) I already get excited, sneaking looks at my camera, trying to imagine what will wait for me there. I’ll also spend some time in Denmark. When I visited Copenhagen for the first time last year, I fell in love immediately. This city is so vivid and young and green and wonderful, I just felt right at home. Maybe I’ll have to come back for longer than a few days.. maybe a couple of months..? But most importantly I am coming back this summer, dividing my time in Denmark between Copenhagen and the northern countryside. I am already thinking about squeezing in another location in Europe, not having settled on anything yet. Any ideas or suggestions anyone?

Some of you might recognise this salad from the youtube intro video. It’s a salad I often prepare when I have people over, it’s quickly made and features a variety of flavors. It can be served warm or cooled, it tastes great either way. Hokkaido pumpkin works really well here, as you do not have to remove its skin and it gets soft very fast when roasting.

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Quinoa Lentil Pumpkin Salad Recipe

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 150g quinoa (+350ml water)
  • 100g red lentils (+250ml water)
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin
  • 50g baby spinach
  • olive oil for roasting
  • 1 handful of walnuts
for the dressing
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt & pepper
  • 5 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil

Instructions

  1. Rinse the quinoa and lentils in water, then cook quinoa and red lentils in two different sauce pans, adding more water if necessary. The lentils will need about 7-10 minutes, the quinoa approximately 15 minutes.
  2.  Meanwhile cut the carrots and half of a Hokkaido pumpkin in smaller pieces and roast them in a pan and in olive oil at medium heat for 10 minutes.
  3. Wash the baby spinach and roughly shred it, using your hands. Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl and combine.
  4. For the dressing stir the oil, salt + pepper and lemon juice together. You can either drizzle it over the salad right away or serve it in a little pot on the side. Top with some walnuts. Enjoy the salad warm or cold!

Welcome to my kitchen, my colourful world of nourishing foods. Here I choose to live healthy, eating whole, plant-based foods; a happy mix of vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

I am Pauline, a food lover and photographer from Berlin.

My recipes are simple, vegetarian dishes with plant-based and natural ingredients only. Perfect for everyday life. You do not have to be a skilled cook to have a balanced and healthy diet – I am not! An open mind and willingness to try out something new everyday shall be enough. It’s an infinite journey, and I am happy about everyone who decides to come along.

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