Vegetable salads are an everyday part of our diet, and often complement many lunches and dinners. As a rule, tomatoes, cucumbers and cabbage are used for their preparation, but you can vary the number of ingredients and cook from a variety of vegetables. For example, pumpkin salads are very good, which have a very pleasant and original taste. This vegetable can be used both in baked and raw form. Below are the most interesting recipes.
Baked Pumpkin Salad with Cranberries and Pistachios
This is an interesting festive pumpkin dish with sweet dried cranberries and crunchy pistachios. For this pumpkin salad recipe you will need:
- 1 small (about 1.5 kg) pumpkin, cut into 8 wedges;
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) of water;
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup;
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika;
- 1 clove of garlic, minced;
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil;
- 75 grams of dried cranberries;
- 50 grams of pistachios, slightly chopped;
- 50 grams of lettuce;
- fresh coriander leaves for serving;
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
How to do it?
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the pumpkin in one layer, lightly season with salt. Combine water, maple syrup, paprika and garlic in a bowl. Pour the pumpkin over this mixture. Bake it for 30-35 minutes.
Add cranberries and pistachios and bake for another 5 minutes. Transfer all the ingredients to a serving dish on top of lettuce and coriander. Stir the remaining oil and lemon juice in a bowl and pour the mixture over the finished dish. If you wish, you can cook this salad with pumpkin and pine nuts if you do not want to use pistachios. Their prescription should be approximately the same. The only difference is that they do not need to be crushed.
Pumpkin salad with herbs
This is a vegetarian diet pumpkin and chickpea salad. To prepare it, you need the following:
- 1.2 kg of ripe pumpkin, peeled, cut into pieces of 2 cm;
- 1/3 cup olive oil;
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander;
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin;
- 400 grams of boiled chickpeas, drained;
- 6 large figs, finely chopped;
- 1 small red onion, chopped;
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves, coarsely chopped;
- 1 large lemon, juice and grated zest;
- salt and spices.
How to cook a green salad?
The recipe for pumpkin and chickpea salad is as follows. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Lightly oil a large baking sheet. Combine the pumpkin, 2 tablespoons of table oil, ground coriander and caraway seeds in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place on prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft. Allow to cool.
Combine chilled pumpkin, chickpeas, figs, onions and chopped coriander in a large bowl.
Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of table oil, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, pepper and salt in a separate container. Pour this mixture onto the pumpkin and mix.
Feta, Spinach and Pumpkin Salad
The combination of fried pumpkin, salted feta cheese, soft avocado and toasted pine nuts in a salad looks very unusual. You will need the following:
- ½ pulp of medium pumpkin, cut into pieces of 2 cm;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into small cubes;
- 150 grams of spinach leaves;
- 1 avocado, peeled and chopped;
- 1/4 cup pine nuts;
- 100 grams of feta cheese, crumbled.
For refueling:
- 1/4 cup olive oil;
- ¼ cup wine vinegar;
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup;
- 2 teaspoons of grain mustard.
How to cook pumpkin salad with cheese?
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Mix the pumpkin and butter and place it in a large baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the flesh becomes very tender. Gently place in a plate and cool.
Combine olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard to make dressing. Next, a salad with baked pumpkin is prepared as follows.
In a large bowl, combine spinach, avocado, pumpkin mixture and pine nuts. Season to taste. Pour dressing and mix thoroughly. Serve with crumbled feta cheese on top of the dish.
Sweet Pumpkin Chicken Salad
This is an easy chicken and pumpkin salad recipe that is easy to prepare for dinner. For him you will need:
- 800 grams of pumpkin in the form of diced pulp;
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup;
- tablespoon olive oil;
- half a glass of walnuts;
- chicken breast - 600 grams;
- 100 grams of a mixture of spinach and arugula;
- 1 red onion, finely chopped.
For refueling:
- 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar and olive oil;
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup;
- 1 teaspoon of sweet mustard.
How to make chicken and pumpkin salad?
This is a warm salad with pumpkin and chicken. Preheat the oven to 220 ° C. Lay a layer of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Combine pumpkin with oil and maple syrup in a deep bowl. Then lay it on a baking sheet strictly in one layer. Pepper and salt to taste.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. About 8 minutes before the end of baking, lay walnuts on top of the pumpkin. While these ingredients are cooked, saute the chicken.
To do this, heat a greased skillet over medium heat. Fry the chicken breast for approximately 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover for several minutes, then cut into small strips.
Prepare a salad dressing by mixing vinegar, oil, maple syrup and sweet mustard. Stir very well, you can use a blender for this purpose. Put a mixture of arugula and spinach on a serving plate, lay chicken, pumpkin with nuts and onions on top. Pour pumpkin salad with arugula dressing and mix. Serve right away.
Pumpkin Chickpea Salad
This recipe clearly shows that a healthy diet can be easy, and it does not take much time. It is especially relevant in the pumpkin ripening season. You can cook this autumn dish for dinner without any problems. For this pumpkin and chickpea salad, you will need:
- 250 grams of cooked chickpeas;
- several tablespoons of pomegranate seeds;
- 4-5 tablespoons of chopped parsley;
- one small pumpkin;
- one tablespoon hemp seed;
- one garlic clove minced in minced meat;
- pepper and salt to taste;
- one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice;
- one teaspoon of dried basil.
How to make a salad in a pumpkin?
Wash a small pumpkin and cut in half. Remove all the seeds and place them in the preheated oven. At 180 ℃, bake the pumpkin for 20 minutes. When the outside changes color to dark orange, the vegetable should be ready. Meanwhile, cook and rinse the chickpeas and mix them with other ingredients in a bowl. If you want, you can make this pumpkin salad with apple. Just cut it into small pieces and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
When the pumpkin is ready, let it cool slightly and carefully remove the pulp with a spoon. If you scrape off a layer that is too large, you will not be able to serve salad inside the shell, as the skin will be too thin and torn. Combine the salad and slices of pulp and serve in a pumpkin.
Rice and Pumpkin Salad
When you cook something with brown rice as a base, it is advisable to add a lot of seeds and nuts to complement the nutty flavor of rice, and this pumpkin salad is no exception. The original appetizer, containing walnuts and sunflower seeds, is delicious and crispy. So you will need:
- medium pumpkin;
- 2 cups brown rice;
- 1/2 cup walnuts;
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds;
- lime juice;
- 1 teaspoon soya sauce;
- Sesame oil;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 teaspoon of honey;
- 2 cups spinach;
- 125 grams of feta cheese.
How to make rice pumpkin salad
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and place on a baking sheet. Pour oil and sprinkle with salt, then fry for 30 minutes, turning once. Set the vegetable aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, cook your brown rice, then set aside briefly so that it can cool.
Coarsely chop the walnuts, then spread them on a baking sheet with sunflower seeds and fry in the oven for 5 minutes, shaking once, until slightly golden.
To make dressing, combine lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, chopped garlic and honey in a small bowl and beat to thoroughly mix all the ingredients.
Combine pumpkin, brown rice, nuts and seeds with spinach, and then season with dressing. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve. Enjoy it!
Raw Pumpkin Salad
One of the many favorite recipes is a salad of raw carrots and cabbage. However, not everyone knows that pumpkin can also be consumed raw. The recipe listed below contains fresh apples, sweet citrus fruits, candied pumpkin seeds, and, of course, pumpkin pulp in the list of ingredients. This appetizer goes well with baked potatoes and crispy toasts. In total you will need:
- 1 large forks of Chinese cabbage;
- 1 small apple, diced;
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped;
- 1 orange, peeled and diced;
- 3/4 cup pulp of a young pumpkin;
- 1 clove of garlic, minced;
- 1 1/2 cup chickpeas;
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup;
- ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika;
- 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds;
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse-grained sea salt;
- 1/2 cup peanut butter;
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar;
- 1/3 cup warm water;
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon raw ginger peeled.
How to make a delicious raw pumpkin salad?
First of all, make a dressing by mixing peanut butter, chopped ginger, apple cider vinegar and water in a blender to a uniform consistency. Set aside.
Prepare the cabbage. Remove the thick stems and place all the leaves in a large bowl. Rinse well and drain. Be sure to wipe the cabbage dry with a few paper towels, and pour all the water that leaked out under the leaves. Tear or chop the cabbage into small pieces. Culinary scissors are well suited for this purpose. Add about 1/4 cup of dressing to the chopped leaves and mix thoroughly. You must marinate the cabbage very well.
Secondly, process the seeds. Heat the pan to a high temperature and add raw pumpkin seeds. Fry for 1-2 minutes, then add paprika and maple syrup. Turn off the heat and leave the seeds in a hot pan to caramelize them in syrup. Break all the big lumps. Sprinkle salt on top and remove from pan. Set aside.
In the same pan where the pumpkin seeds were fried, fold the cooked and washed chickpeas. Sprinkle paprika on top and add maple syrup. If you wish, you can add 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, if you want chickpeas to have a more intense taste. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the grains become warm and slightly fried.
Add all the ingredients to the cabbage: onions, orange, pumpkin, apple, chopped garlic, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds. Stir well and serve in large portioned bowls. If you wish, you can pour a little chopped orange zest directly on top of the rest of the ingredients. Serve the salad in combination with oven-baked potatoes.
Another raw salad option
This is another vitamin salad of raw pumpkin, which has an interesting taste. For him you need:
- 2 cups chopped into small cubes pulp of a young pumpkin;
- 1 cup chopped peeled mango;
- 1 medium-sized carrot grated;
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds;
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves;
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves;
- 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves;
- sea salt.
Cooking Raw Green Salad
In a serving bowl, mix the pulp of pumpkin, mango, carrot, seeds, lime juice and olive oil until smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes. Add parsley, cilantro, basil and salt and mix gently. Serve or cover immediately and refrigerate for up to 3 days. As you can see, this is a very simple salad of pumpkins and carrots with herbs. You can supplement it with any components at your discretion. For example, add an apple, pear or quince to it, or sprinkle with any nuts and seeds. You can also put feta cheese or tofu in it. Serve it best with rice or a hot vegetable dish.