Squash, Chickpea & Cavolo Nero Harvest Bowl

Published by

Jasmine

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Today I’m sharing a transitional bowl featuring the freshness of summer and some of the produce that’s in season now we’re heading into autumn…

INGREDIENTS

Veg and protein:

Cavolo Nero (or any other kale variety)

Chickpeas

Butternut squash (or any other squash, pumpkin or even sweet potato)

Toppings:

Coriander

Pecan nuts

Mixed seeds (I have pumpkin, sesame and sunflower)

Feta (or a vegan Greek style cheese block)

Pomegranate seeds

Dressing:

Lemon juice

Extra-Virgin olive oil

Tahini

Flavour and everything else:

Vinegar (I used apple cider)

Red onion

Ras el hanout (use cumin if you can’t find this spice mix)

Cayenne pepper

TIPS

This is a really simple recipe, but I just wanted to explain a little about ‘massaging’ kale! Cavolo Nero is ‘black kale (or cabbage)’, so it’s a very fibrous, hardy kind of leaf. Typically, I steam it but I heard about the massaging technique which is a way to enjoy this leaf raw. I honestly could not imagine how this would be edible raw when I first heard about this method but decided to try it a few weeks back and I’m converted! You simply drizzle on some oil (and salt and pepper) and spend a minute or two massaging it into the kale leaves and let it rest for another couple of minutes before serving. This breaks down and softens the leaves to make them pleasant and edible to eat raw!

I also love this method for quick-picking red onions; typically raw red onion is something I’m conservative with because it can give me acid reflux. However, I find that super-fine sliced and pickling the onions for even just 20 minutes takes that edge right off.

Squash, Chickpea & Kale Salad Bowl

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A transitional salad bowl with tanginess, warmth and sweetness

No special equipment or advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 1/2 a butternut squash (peeled and cut into bitesized chunks)
  • 100g of Cavolo Nero (de-stemmed and roughly chopped)
  • 250g of jarred or tinned chickpeas (rinsed and patted dry)
  • 1/2 a red onion (very finely sliced)
  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 40g of pecan nuts
  • 15g of mixed seeds
  • 30g of pomegranate seeds
  • 1 tsp of Ras el Hanout
  • 1/2 a tsp of Aleppo pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1-2 tbsp of tahini
  • 1 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil (+ extra for cooking)
  • A small handful (c. 5g) of fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
  • 50g of feta cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C
  2. Add the vinegar and red onions to a shallow dish and set aside
  3. Add the squash to an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on half of the Ras el Hanout – combine to coat the squash and oven bake for 20-25 minutes (tossing halfway through)
  4. Add the chickpeas to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add the rest of the Ras el Hanout – use a spoon or your hands to coat and then transfer to a sheet pan and lie the chickpeas flat on its surface (use greaseproof paper if you have it) – oven roast for 15-20 minutes
  5. Add the pecans to an ovenproof dish and the seeds to a second dish with the Aleppo Pepper and a very small amount of oil to allow the seeds to be coated (stir to combine) and roast for 15 minutes
  6. Add the Cavolo Nero to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste, use your hands to massage the kale for 1-2 minutes until the leaves are softened
  7. Combine the tahini, lemon juice and 1/2 a tsp of olive oil in a small bowl and add very cold water 1 tsp at a time until you get a creamy, pourable dressing
  8. Once the roasted ingredients are all done, layer the Cavolo Nero, chickpeas and squash
  9. Remove the red onion from the vinegar and sprinkle it over
  10. Sprinkle over the pecans and seeds, crumble on the feta, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and the coriander
  11. Drizzle over the dressing to serve

Let me know if you try this bowl!

See how I make it here:

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