I never thought I’d be the type to get excited about a salad. I think that stems from having the same uninspiring salad forced upon me for many years i.e. bagged lettuce, cucumber, pepper and at a push some diced tomato. However, I have since learnt that salad doesn’t need to be boring. This one combines some old favourites like butternut squash and spinach with my new great food loves: goats cheese, beetroot and pomegranate seeds.
It’s a great one for a sunny weekend lunch and even for the weekday lunchbox: just make a batch of each component, stick them in the fridge and chuck them together before work. Writing out a full recipe for a salad feels a bit silly so I will just put the basics down and leave you to experiment if you fancy making it.
Ingredients used:
- Baby spinach
- Green lentils
- Butternut squash
- Goats cheese
- Cooked beetroot
- Pomegranate seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
For the lentils:
Heat some water in a small saucepan and stir in some vegetable stock (I love Boullion powder, it gives the lentils a very yummy flavour). Add in green lentils, let them bubble away uncovered for ten minutes then cover and simmer for another 25 minutes. Drain and leave to cool a little. Check the lentils packaging for full cooking instructions and quantity guidance.
For the squash:
Heat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6. Peel and dice the squash, pour into a baking tray and season with salt, pepper, paprika and a drizzle of oil. Cook for around 20 minutes. Leave to cool a little.
To assemble:
Spread out the spinach leaves then add the lentils and squash. Add some diced goats cheese and beetroot then top with a handful of pomegranate and pumpkin seeds.
thealexproject 
The secret is in the pomergrande seeds! 😉
Very true full on proclaimed my love for them at lunch the other day they’re just so tasty!!
Haha, I bet you did. Thank you again for the healthy yum yums!