Honey Roasted Pumpkin Salad

I love love love pumpkin. The sweetness of this vegetable just seem to sit well with me. One of the first soup I tasted in Australia was pumpkin soup. That was sold $3 a cup in our college canteen. It was creamy stuff- I am thinking little pumpkin, lots of cream! However, the soup was also my introduction to this fabulous vegetable and I soon realised that home made pumpkin soup is so easy to make and a good pot of it can cost less than $10!

When I am in a cafe, AR can tell what I am going to order if pumpkin is featured on it. Roast Pumpkin toastie? I am in! Pumpkin soup? Yes please! So it is no surprised to him that I thought of roasting it with some honey and pairing it in a salad.

Truth be told though, I hate chopping this vegetable. I feel like I am in a battle with it! Which is why I often eat this in cafes rather than making it at home. Still, I am slowly getting the hang of it, and a sharp chopper knife helps....

If it fails though, I can always say "HUBBY, I need your help!" And of course, the hubs like it as that makes him stronger than I am (maybe that is the reason why I got married... to have a husband to help chop food and open jars? ;p)

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Salad  

Pumpkin can be roasted the night before if serving it for lunch. This can also be used in pasta.

1/2 butternut pumpkin chopped in cubes
2 tsp of paprika
1 generous tablespoon of honey
1 tsp of dried chili flakes
some cracked black pepper 

olive oil spray
Pre heat oven to 200C. Mix all the above together and spread them on a baking tray. Spray with oil and roast for around 20 minutes, checking after 10 minutes or so. Cool and store. 

200 grams of spinach leaves
toasted pecan nuts

Serve warm pumpkin on a bed of spinach leaves and sprinkle some pecan nuts on it for the crunch factor.