Pumpkin Harvest Salad

Name: Pumpkin Harvest Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Kale; 1 tbsp Olive oil; 1 cup Cucumber (chopped); 1/2 cup Green apple (chopped); 3/4 cup Corn (grilled); 2 cups Pumpkin (roasted and sliced butternut squash); 1/2 cup Halloumi (pan fried); 1/2 cup Chickpeas; 1/4 tsp Cumin powder; 1/4 tsp Paprika powder; 2 tbsp Pistachios; 2 tbsp Pumpkin seeds; 1 tsp Oregano; 1 tsp Black pepper powder; Pinch of salt; 2 tbsp Honey; 2 Red chilli (deseeded & sliced); 1 tsp Lemon juice; 1 tbsp Olive oil

This salad is filled with kale, halloumi, roasted pumpkin, grilled corn, green apple and cucumbers. Topped with a hot honey and red chili dressing that is so yummy, healthy and easy to make.

I call this recipe my Pumpkin Harvest Salad but honestly it is a Harvest salad with pumpkin in it. What I love about make salads is the fact that most people believe salads are terrible and “healthy” hence insipid. However here I give you my beautiful to look at but delicious to eat Pumpkin harvest salad.

It is packed with kale, grilled corn, spiced chick peas, pan fried halloumi, green apple, cucumber, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, salt , pepper, oregano. The dressing is hot honey, lemon juice, red chili (deseeded and finely sliced) that is stirred together until combined.

What ingredients and substitutes can you use to make this Pumpkin harvest salad?

I use Kale in this recipe but you can use a mix of any greens you like. I have made this recipe with a combination of spinach and lettuce as well and it was yummy. The kale is massaged with olive oil and salt, this helps it reduce its harsh texture while eating. I add cucumbers and I wouldn’t recommend substituting it as it not only adds crunch but freshness. Chopped green apple adds sweetness into the salad but you could do red apple or pear instead.

Lets talk pumpkin, I have made this rip using butternut squash. She is sweet and creamy but also cooks up juicy and delicious. I like to roast the butternut. Split it length wise and roast in an oven until soft enough to to poked through with a fork. The skin can be peeled of or kept on. If you are using a regular pumpkin – the skin will be tough to eat hence you will need to peel it off.

I like to grill corn on the cob and slice of chunks before adding it into the salad. You can do regular frozen that is steamed in the microwave. I also love the addition of pan fried halloumi in this recipe. You can grill the halloumi as well, I like the crunch it gets from pan frying. Do not over cook the halloumi or else it will get tough. You can use pan fried paneer as well. The spiced chick peas is basically chick peas (either boiled or drained from a can) tossed with cumin powder and papkria. Top it with oregano, pepper, salt, toasted pistachios and pumpkin seeds.

To make the dressing we need honey, you could use maple syrup but I would suggest honey as it has a better consistency, red chillies (deseeded and finely sliced), lemon juice that is stirred together and poured over the salad while warm. A harvest salad is bountiful and wholesome – not to mention nutritious. This is my well balanced version of a simple harvest salad.

You don’t need fancy equipment to make this recipe but a little patience in preparing all the components goes a long way. The beauty about warm salads is that you can keep things ready ahead of time and warm up the honey, fry up the halloumi at the last minute and bring the salad together when ready to serve. It is important to serve a warm salad warm when just about to eat. Once the salad is made it can be stored in the fridge for a day or two but it won’t be the same hence you should eat it as soon as its made.

Now that we have covered how to make this Pumpkin harvest salad, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.