This salad is everything but boring and lifeless. Bursting with flavour and goodness, this recipe is nourishing, filling and balanced.

Ingredients:

¼ kent or jap pumpkin, cut into 1 inch cubes with seeds removed
1 carrot chopped roughly
4 crushed garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
½ cup pistachios
Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
400 g / 15 oz of chickpeas, drained
Salt, to taste
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp balsamic
2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Handful of rocket/ arugula

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Prepare a tray with lined baking paper. Add pumpkin, carrot and 1 tbsp of olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt to tray mixing with hands to coat everything evenly. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. In a mixing bowl add chickpeas, smoked paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and coat chickpeas throwing away the skins that come off. On a tray lined with baking paper spread chickpeas out evenly. Add the cherry tomatoes and toss through. Bake for 20 minutes shaking the tray every 5 minutes to ensure they cook evenly.
3. Once cooked add the chickpeas and tomatoes to the pumpkin and carrot in a large tray. Top with pistachios (option to toast these for 8-10 minutes for an added crunch).
4. Toss with balsamic glaze (option to mix balsamic glaze and maple syrup for a bit more sweetness). Serve with rocket and sesame seeds.
5. 6. Enjoy!

Serves 3