Chickpea Quinoa Salad With Pumpkin

This vegan chickpea quinoa salad with oven-baked pumpkin is filling, high in protein and easy to make in less than 30 minutes. Serve it as a comforting, healthy fall-inspired dinner or energizing lunch!

Most people imagine a salad as a bowl of lettuce with a few nuts and seeds that simply leaves you feeling hungrier afterwards.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 550 g pumpkin (about 500g/18oz), cubed
• ½ tsp salt or to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ cup quinoa dry
• 1.5 cups chickpeas cooked
• 1 large carrot ribboned*
• 1 medium red onion chopped
• ½ cup green peas
• 1 medium avocado mashed
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2-3 tbsp chopped walnuts optional, to garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/392 F. Cook the quinoa according to packaging instructions (this should take around 20 minutes).
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cubed pumpkin, salt, pepper and maple syrup until the pumpkin is evenly coated. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. 
• Add the pumpkin, cooked quinoa, chickpeas, carrot, red onion, carrot ribbons, petit pois, mashed avocado and balsamic vinegar to a large mixing bowl. Stir well to combine, seasoning with more salt and pepper and garnishing with walnuts if desired. Serve straight away or chill for an hour for a cold salad.**

Nutrition