Lunch is a vital meal in the day, especially for those who have an active lifestyle or busy schedule. Yet it’s easy to disregard the value of a nutritious lunch when your mornings are already rushed and there’s always the option to order take away or fill up on a convenient snack. But more often than not, these meals lack the nutritional content your body needs to keep functioning for the rest of the day.
Preparing a meal in advance keeps your mornings free and is the best way to guarantee you have a nutritious meal for lunch, whether it’s in the office or at home. It also gives you time to create something delicious to look forward to during the morning!
Our Warm Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad with Tahini Yoghurt is full of flavour and nourishing goodness. Pumpkins are a rich source of fibre, antioxidants and immunity-boosting vitamins and minerals. Despite its nutrient-density, this staple vegetable is very low in calories. Quinoa, once referred to as the ‘mother of all grains’ in the Inca Empire, is also a very nutritious food that’s high in fibre, protein and important minerals.
This recipe is a must-try from our ebook A Taste of Eden, which includes 25 stunning recipes to help you recreate some of our most-loved meals from home. Sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this page to receive a free copy.
The ingredients below create four servings, making it the perfect lunch to enjoy throughout the week. If you’re meal planning, we suggest setting aside Tahini Yoghurt dressing in separate containers to add when served.
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons / Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium / Pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons / Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon / Ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon / Ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon / Sumac, extra to serve
- Salt and pepper
Tahini Yoghurt
- 200 ml / Natural yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons / Hulled tahini
- 1 teaspoon / Lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon / Salt
Quinoa Salad
- 1 cup / Quinoa
- 2 / cups / Vegetable stock
- 1 bunch / Radish, quartered
- 1/2 / Red onion, finely sliced
- 100 grams / Baby spinach
- 1 / Lebanese cucumber, peeled into ribbons
- 1/2 / Pomegranate, seeds removed
- 1/4 cup / Pepitas, toasted
- 1/4 cup / Parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons / Lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons / Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove / Garlic, finely grated
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200℃. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut the pumpkin into 3-4cm wedges, remove seeds and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil, cumin, coriander and sumac. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat pumpkin in the spice mixture. Arrange on a prepared baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and pumpkin is tender.
- Meanwhile, place quinoa and vegetable stock in a medium-sized saucepan. Place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- To make the salad, place quinoa, radish, onion, spinach, cucumber, pomegranate seeds, pepitas and parsley in a bowl. In a small jug, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to combine.
- To make the tahini yoghurt, mix together yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice and salt in a bowl.
- To serve, spread tahini yoghurt onto each serving plate. Top with a piece of pumpkin. Place a generous spoonful of quinoa salad over the pumpkin. Sprinkle with a little extra sumac.
Enjoy!
