Pumpkin and feta salad

Breakfast: Chef’s Breakfast from the Wealthy Hippy

Lunch: Leftover curry, again. I made a lot, ok? It’s gone now.

Dinner: Pumpkin and feta salad

My friend Lisa is a holistic nutritionist, but the awesome kind that makes you watermelon cocktails so you can look after your liver while you party, rather than the kind that won’t drive through towns with the word “ham” in the title. She’s recently decided to spread her awesomeness worldwide by selling her fantastic Chef’s Breakfast, a cereal she created that includes chia, quinoa flakes, apricots, walnuts, bee pollen and flax seed amongst a myriad of other pieces of pure awesome.

It gives you mad energy and makes you poop like a demon. After just 2 days Putin and I are hooked. I very much recommend it; very soon you’ll be able to buy it online but in the mean time you’ll have to go to the excellent Grindhouse on King, which is a good excuse to get their amazing Forest Floor veggie burger while you’re there. Best veggie burger ever, hands down.

Having had such a fulfilling breakfast dinner had to be good, so I cracked out one of my favorite but easy recipes. Any excuse to have feta cheese is much welcomed in our house, and this manages to be both cheesy and nutritious at the same time.

You’ll need:

(Feeds 2)

            1/2 small pumpkin, cut into chunks – keep the seeds from the inside

            2 handfuls spinach

            30-40g feta cheese – Macedonian feta is fantastic

            Balsamic vinegar

            Olive / sunflower oil

Method:

Put the pumpkin seeds into a pan (no oil) and toast them until they’re nicely brown on both sides. Set aside

In a deep pan or wok, heat a tbsp of oil

Throw in the pumpkin and keep moving

Cook until its soft through each piece – cooking time will depend on how big the chunks are!

Take off the heat and add the spinach, stirring it thoroughly. The heat will wilt the spinach

Crumble the feta into the pan and serve immediately

Scatter the toasted seeds on top and finish with a splash of balsamic vinegar

I also throw mushrooms or onions into this, and cherry tomatoes can also go nicely. If you have no pumpkin kicking around, butternut squash can be used instead. At Halloween though you’ll be thanking me for this recipe!

Be warned: if you’re a cheese/spinach/balsamic fan this can be somewhat addictive. It’s also mad filling thanks to the pumpkin, so try not to eat a whole vat of it as your stomach will most likely implode, leaving someone else to clean up the kitchen.