Pumpkin Everyday – Pumpkin, Orange & Quinoa Salad

My 4 year old is on at me to make more progress through our mound of pumpkins.  This despite the fact that she is usually nonplussed when actually served some.  In this dish the pumpkin is not that easily recognisable – hence no immediate groaning… I love pumpkin so that lack of real pumpkiny flavour isn’t a real plus for me but this salad is still fabulous.

Pretty much everyone I’ve ever served this to loves this salad – a sign of a good salad.    It is adapted from a recipe I saw in The Age’s Epicure section about a year or so ago.  Unfortunately I no longer have the paper so I’m not sure who was responsible for the original recipe which I have adapted but whoever it was; thankyou for this healthy and delicious recipe idea!

Pumpkin, Orange and Quinoa salad

• 1 cup quinoa (I like the red one as pictured here but any colour
  is fine – I have no idea whether there is any nutritional variation between varieties)
• 1 tbspn olive oil
• 2 onions diced
• 1.5 tbspns white wine vinegar
• Juice of two oranges
• Rind of two oranges
• 200g pumpkin peeled and grated
• ½ cup torn mint leaves
• Handful of pumpkin seeds toasted

Bring the quinoa to the boil in 1.5 cups water.  Cover and simmer on a low heat until
cooked.  Heat oil and sauté onions, when they are cooked add vinegar and orange juice.
Cook for a couple of minutes.  Add pumpkin and cook for another couple of minutes.
Mix the pumpkin mixture with the cooked quinoa.  Add mint, orange rind and seeds, season and serve either warm or cold.