I was visiting one of our awesome adult daughters recently and we had lunch at the Jeso hotel. I ordered a Pumpkin salad with chicken and was really impressed with the flavours and the healthy ingredients. So, as you do, I decided to try and make my own version. Although it is a bit different, the inspiration was from the dish at the Jeso.
I chose to use a butternut pumpkin as I find them easier to work with than other pumpkins and they are not too big. I can also use leftover pumpkin in my Pumpkin Pie Parfait or with Pumpkin Pie Porridge.
I love that this dish can be a well rounded vegetarian dish if I want it to be. Just remove the chicken. Vegetarian meals should always try to have a source of protein, and a good range of protein sources are important throughout the day. This will provide the essential amino acids that are required for your health. If you don’t have a range of protein sources you may end up lacking one or more of the essential amino acids that your body needs. Animal sources of protein contain all the essential amino acids, so it is not as complicated.
A few potential modifications I can suggest are:
Use pomegranate arils if you can find them instead of the raspberries. These will give your salad a delicious crunch which the meal I had at the Jeso had. Unfortunately they are not always available, thus the swap to the raspberries. If you sprinkle the frozen raspberries over your salad, they will mingle in nicely with the rest of the food and give it that lovely tang.
Swap the pine nuts for the pumpkin seeds that are in your pumpkin. This will save you money and they are very healthy with a lot of fibre and protein. You could also use pistachios as another nut alternative.
I like using quinoa on occasion and it does go very well with this dish. But if you prefer rice, use a brown rice for the fibre content. Quinoa is also high in protein if you are a vegetarian, and so is useful for providing those amino acids I mentioned earlier.
I do try and remember to have some form of fermented foods every day. They are very good for a healthy gut. I used the sauerkraut in this, but you could opt for kimchi or fresh red cabbage. Each different option will give you different health benefits, so there is no best option.
Swap the chicken for fish. A nice piece of barramundi is a good source of Omega 3 healthy fats. Omega 3 fats are important for many health benefits including reducing anxiety and depression, and improving memory. I just sprinkled dukkah on it before cooking the fillets on the hot BBQ with the pumpkin. But it doesn’t take as long as pumpkin. Only about 2-3 minutes each side (depending on the thickness of the fish).
Plate of barbeque pumpkin and fish with salad vegetables, hummus, pine nuts and quinoa.
Warm Pumpkin Salad with Barramundi
I hope you enjoy this dish. If you try it, please let me know how it went and any changes that you made.
Warm Pumpkin & Chicken Mediterranean Salad
A tasty and healthy salad that will provide your fibre needs and a good variety of colour!
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with dukkah until all the pieces have a light covering. Allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- 2
Rinse the quinoa and place it in a saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup of water over the quinoa and cook on high heat until the water is boiling. Turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 3
After 10 minutes of simmering, add the edamame beans to the saucepan and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
- 4
Remove the quinoa from the heat and allow it to sit with the lid on until you're ready to use it, or at least another 10 minutes.
- 5
While the quinoa is cooking, cut the pumpkin in half so you have 2 pieces. Remove the seeds. Spray the cut side with a little extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with dukkah. Wrap in foil and place skin side down on a rack in a lidded BBQ with the lid down on high heat. Cook for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin has softened when a fork is pushed into the flesh.
- 6
Remove the pumpkin from the BBQ and take off the foil. Place the pumpkin flesh side down on the grill side of the BBQ for up to 5 minutes to char lightly.
- 7
While the pumpkin is charring, place the chicken on the hot plate of the BBQ and cook on both sides until cooked through. This should take no longer than 10 minutes.
- 8
To assemble: spread some hummus onto your plate. Top with quinoa, edamame beans and chicken. Place the pumpkin on the side of the plate and fill it with rocket topped with sauerkraut. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and raspberries.
- 9
Alternatively, clean the pumpkin seeds and lightly spray with extra virgin olive oil. Dry-fry them in a small frypan instead of the pine nuts, then sprinkle over the salad.
Nutrition (per serving)
Estimated from the FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database. Actual values will vary depending on the specific products used — not a substitute for individual dietary advice.
