Cumin Roasted Butternut Squash with Spicy Green Chickpea Salad

I love the fact that butternut squash is sooo tasty, yet extremely low in fat and a very healthy food. It can be boiled, roasted, baked, chipped, mashed and so on.... but my favourite way of eating it is when its roasted in the oven sprinkled with herbs or spices. It can easily be the main star on the plate.

This roast butternut squash salad is made by roasting the squash in large wedges in oven scattered with cumin seeds and just light sprayed with low cal oil spray. The heat in the oven sweetens and intensifies the flavours of the squash and the cumin seeds permeates the squash beautifully.

The accompaniment for these fragrant wedges is a spicy green chickpea salad. You really can't get much healthier than that, not to mentioned...tastier!! For the crunch element I've roasted a few pumkin seeds in the oven for the last 2 minutes. Pumpkin seeds are unbelievably good for you, which is an added bonus because they are just so darn tasty.

This salad is the perfect girlie lunch time salad with friends, or reduce the portion and it stands as an elegant dinner party starter. Also you could increase the chilli chickpea salad as a main course for a vegetarian friend.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 a butternut squash, halved down the middle
• 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• 3 sprays of low cal spray
• 1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp of chopped green chilli
• 2 tbsp of diced cucumber
• 1 tbsp of rocket leaves
• 1 tbsp of roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp of olive oil, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice whisked together.
• Balsamic syrup to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Cut the halved squash into wedges, either 4-5 pieces
3. Lay the wedges on baking paper lined tray
4. Sprinkle with cumin seeds and sea salt and spray with low cal spray
5. Roast for 20-25 minutes
6. Meanwhile, combine the chickpeas,spring onion, cucumber, chilli, rocket leaves in a bowl.
7. Pour over the whisked dressing and let to infuse.
8. Put the pumpkin seeds in the oven for last 2 minutes of cooking.
9. Remove the tray and allow 2-3 wedges on a plate per person.
10. Add the spicy salad to the plate, scatter with the toasted seeds and decorate with some balsamic syrup.