Brown Rice Salad with Roast Pumpkin, Avocado and Hummus

The beauty of this dish is that you can just throw in whatever takes your fancy (or is in the fridge). You could also try finely chopped celery or red pepper, cauliflower or carrot, shredded chicken or hot roasted salmon – the variations are endless, so go wild!

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

1 cup uncooked brown rice, either short or medium grain
1 medium kumara (sweet potato), chopped into 3cm cubes
300 grams pumpkin, chopped into 3cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon olive oil
Dressing
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2–3 tablespoons tamari (according to taste)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
To serve
1 large avocado, sliced
½ cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup hummus

METHOD

Line a roasting tray with baking paper and preheat oven to 180˚C.

Cook the rice according to packet instructions.

Put kumara and pumpkin chunks on the tray, drizzle with oil and top with the honey, and sprinkle the cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Bake for about 30–35 minutes until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife. Leave to cool.

Keep the oven on at 180˚C. Line another tray with baking paper and spread out the pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Mix the tamari with olive oil and spread through seeds with your hands (I use my hands). Bake for about 7–8 minutes until dark golden and toasted.

Mix together the dressing ingredients, and stir into the rice. Fold in the pumpkin, kumara, avocado and coriander, and ¼ cup of the toasted seeds.

Divide into two serving bowls and serve topped with a few tablespoons of the hummus and an extra sprinkling of coriander and seeds.