Chard Salad, Roasted Pumpking and Dukkha

Raw Chard Salad,

Roasted Pumpkin

& Dukkha

My friend and wonderful chef Toni from New Zealand introduced me to eating raw chard. At first I couldn’t imagine eating chard raw because it seemed so fibrous and bitter. After Toni made it with me, I fell in love with it. The recipe below is my adaptation to her creation.

Leafy greens are very important to a healthy diet. It's good to include plant fiber on a daily basis.

I love roasted pumpkin. Its so easy and delicious. So many health benefits are associated with pumpkin. You can leave the skin on if you use Hokkaido Pumpkin. I prepared it here with homemade dukkha and vegan lemon-yoghurt dressing

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I use avocado oil for roasting, it has a rather neutral taste and most importantly it has a high smoke point. This means it doesn’t burn as quickly and is therefore healthier and tastier.

ingredients

for the chard salad

1-2 bunches of fresh chard
a couple of sourdough breadcrumbs (toasted old bread)
a handful of chopped roasted nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)
a handful of sliced dates
1/2 red onion soaked in white wine vinegar for 1 hr or longer
dressing: some of the vinegar of the red onion, olive oil, sliced garlic, lemon juice, salt

for the roasted pumpkin

1 pumpkin of your choice
olive oil or avocado oil
salt & pepper
a splash of lemon
a few spoons of vegan yoghurt

for the dukkha

1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 spoons coriander seeds
2 spoons cumin seeds
freshly ground black pepper
salt

directions

Start by soaking the red sliced onion in white vinegar. Wash the chard and cut the stem carefully off along the leaf, then cut the chard into bite size pieces along the life line ("arteries") of the leaf. Prepare the nuts, dates and breadcrumbs.
Slice the pumpkin into half moons (I keep the skin on), mix with the oil and salt. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 min at 180C°. I prefer using avocado oil when heating to high temperatures.
For the dukkah: roast the nuts, seeds and spices except for the pepper and salt. Place into blender and grind until it has the consistency you like. Then add freshly ground pepper and salt.
To finish the chard salad: Mix the dressing and mix all ingredients of the salad together. It tastes better if it has a few minutes to soak before serving.
Mix lemon, little olive oil and vegan yoghurt with salt and pepper to sprinkle over the roasted pumpkin.
Prepare everything on a plate and serve. Enjoy!

Raw Chard Salad,

Roasted Pumpkin

& Dukkha

ingredients​

​

for the chard salad

1-2 bunches of fresh chard

a couple of sourdough breadcrumbs (toasted old bread)

a handful of chopped roasted nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)

a handful of sliced dates

1/2 red onion soaked in white wine vinegar for 1 hr or longer

dressing: some of the vinegar of the red onion, olive oil, sliced garlic, lemon juice, salt

for the roasted pumpkin

1 pumpkin of your choice

olive oil or avocado oil

salt & pepper

a splash of lemon

a few spoons of vegan yoghurt

for the dukkha

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/3 cup sesame seeds

2 spoons coriander seeds

2 spoons cumin seeds

freshly ground black pepper

salt

directions​

​

Start by soaking the red sliced onion in white vinegar. Wash the chard and cut the stem carefully off along the leaf, then cut the chard into bite size pieces along the life line ("arteries") of the leaf. Prepare the nuts, dates and breadcrumbs.

Slice the pumpkin into half moons (I keep the skin on), mix with the oil and salt. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 min at 180C°. I prefer using avocado oil when heating to high temperatures.

For the dukkah: roast the nuts, seeds and spices except for the pepper and salt. Place into blender and grind until it has the consistency you like. Then add freshly ground pepper and salt.

To finish the chard salad: Mix the dressing and mix all ingredients of the salad together. It tastes better if it has a few minutes to soak before serving.

Mix lemon, little olive oil and vegan yoghurt with salt and pepper to sprinkle over the roasted pumpkin.

Prepare everything on a plate and serve. Enjoy!

ingredients

directions