Halloween has just past. During October people around here that usually have children, decorate their homes with the usual decorations including Jack o lanterns made from carved out pumpkins.
I tend to be a grump when it comes to these festivities. I cringe when I see the aftermath of pumpkin decorations rotting. To me pumpkin is food. I think of people that could feed a family with one average Jack o lantern and some grain.
I don't have space for pumpkins in my place but if I did I would purchase several left over pumpkins from the market. However I did get one and it was a medium small size. There are so many things you can do with these. You can make soup, curry, side dishes, deserts and so much more. This is something that can be appreciated in almost all cultures. Of course squash or some kind of gourd would be the replacement in places where this is not available.
With some of this pumpkin I have decided to roast it and make a fall inspired salad with it. This is very filling and for me is a total meal. For some it would be a good side dish.
I decided to roast some beets to add to it. I am not huge beet fan but I do like it with things added to it,
To add to it I took some walnuts from my cupboard and toasted them adding a splash of maple syrup, and salt. They were cooked until brown and toasted. This would add some crunch to the salad and an extra flavor boost.
I made a simple dressing to mix the items with.
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad items:
4 cups roasted pumpkin
2 cups roasted beets
1 chopped red onion
1 cup roasted sweetened walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Greens of choice
I used baby kale and baby spinach
Mix the squash, beets, walnuts, cranberries and onions with dressing enough to coat the items.
Separately coat the the greens in dressing and toss.
Put the greens on the bottom of the plate then top with the squash beet mixture.
We haven't been too inspired to eat salads since the weather has changed to cool. This is a more heavy salad for fall.
Ideally the pumpkin should be roasted to get the best flavor and texture to eat on a salad. I feel the same with the beets but it's not absolutely necessary I suppose.
There could be many variations to a pumpkin salad, with the addition of seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, diced apple, herbs such as dill or sage. I was going to put sage on the pumpkin while roasting but I decided not to at the last minute. I don't know why. I have much more pumpkin left so sage can be incorporated into something else.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.
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