make tonight: warm winter kale salad

The words ‘winter’ and ‘salad’ don’t always seem to go hand in hand. Cold winter evenings leave you craving a dish that is warm and satisfying. Today’s episode of SIBO Cooking Show, Rebecca Coomes shows you how to make a Warm Winter Kale Salad with roasted pumpkin and capsicum. Rebecca takes you through the preparation and imparts some tricks of the trade with roasting veg.

A special thank you to my friends at Organic Angels for graciously giving me these seasonal veggies to enjoy for this dish! You can connect with them on Facebook.

sibo cooking show featuring the warm winter kale salad

This Warm Winter Kale Salad is perfect for winter and pairs beautifully with roasted meat or fish. The real standout, however, is the roasted pumpkin. It’s a great seasonal accompaniment that caramelises and imparts a delicious flavour, with amazingly healthy benefits. 

Kale a veritable powerhouse and is packed full of nutrients and vitamins A, C and vitamin K, which can help ward off cancer.  It is also jam-packed full of iron, is bursting with antioxidants and is high in calcium.

Not to be outdone, pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and carotenoids, as well as beta-carotene, which is believed to help prevent cancer. The seeds can be roasted and added as a crunchy topping to your salad, or eaten on their own as a snack.

Pumpkin seeds contain amino acid tryptophan, which boosts the production of serotonin, which helps us feel good. Although, with this delicious salad, we’re sure you’ll be feeling great.

This salad tastes great, is easy to prepare, and is a nutrient powerhouse. Dinner tonight is sorted!

warm winter kale salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 5 large kale leaves, washed, leaves torn from the stems
• 2 cups pumpkin, diced
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red capsicum
• 2 tbs pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 2 tbs pumpkin seeds (retained from the pumpkin)
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• Salt & pepper for seasoning

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.

Place the pumpkin pieces and seeds in a large bowl.  Cover with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Cover a baking tray with non-stick paper, then place the pumpkin pieces on the tray.  Place in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pieces are cooked and golden brown and the seeds look roasted.

At the same time, the pumpkin goes into the oven, place the whole capsicum on a shelf.  Cook until the capsicum has blackened and the flesh is very soft, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place the halved cherry tomatoes in a bowl and cover with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on a second tray covered with non-stick paper, and roast for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are roasted.

Place the torn kale leaves in a large bowl.  Cover with the remaining olive oil.  Massage the leaves for 5 minutes.  This will help them to become tender.  Mix the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together then stir through the leaves.

Remove the pumpkin, capsicum and tomatoes from the oven and cool slightly.  Once the capsicum is cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skin, seeds and stem, then slice into ribbons.

Stir the roasted vegetables through the salad.  Top with the roasted pumpkin seeds and pine nuts.  Serve immediately.

✓Gluten free

✓Dairy-free

✓Low FODMAP

✓Vegetarian

✓Vegan