Just the right kind of warming salad for the first day of winter starting tomorrow!

This salad is a delicious combination of roasted vegetables and chickpeas with the star ingredients it’s tangy curry mustard dressing. It's designed to be quick and easy to make, using pantry staples like American mustard and dry curry powder. The dressing adds a burst of flavor to the roasted vegetable salad, and when crumbled with soft goat's cheese, it creates a truly special dish. The bright yellow dressing drizzled over the white goat's cheese creates a visually appealing presentation. Though it may seem like an unlikely combination, the marriage of curry and goat's cheese is truly sublime.

While I usually tend to go all out when cooking for my family and friends, taking extra time and effort to make dishes taste as yummy as possible, I've made an effort to simplify this salad recipe. In the interest of convenience and ensuring that people will actually make it, I've made a few adjustments. Instead of pan-frying the cauliflower until golden yet still crunchy, I've opted to roast all the vegetables together in the oven. I've also used pre-made dukkah and kept the pepitas plain. Surprisingly, the difference in taste when everything is combined is minimal. The salad is still incredibly delicious, and I must admit, my extra efforts may not have been entirely worth it! So here's the simpler version for you. The one time-consuming element that remains is roasting the pumpkin, which takes some time but requires minimal effort. You can turn up the oven temperature and reduce the roasting time, or if you're in a rush, replace the pumpkin with quicker-cooking vegetables like zucchini or eggplant and add them to the tray of grilled vegetables.

This recipe works best as a hearty main meal, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner with leftovers to enjoy at work the next day. It can last in the fridge for a couple of days even after dressing it. If desired, you can double the recipe, mix the vegetables, dressing, and chickpeas together, and store them in the fridge. Just add the fresh greens and goat's cheese when serving. This way, the salad will last for 5-7 days when stored properly. It tastes great both cold and warm, but if serving warm, make sure to eat it right away, as the greens may become soggy. Personally, I love it when it's still slightly warm, and the goat's cheese becomes delightfully gooey and delicious.

Feel free to mix up the ingredients for this salad as the recipe is forgiving. As I mentioned earlier, it's all about the dressing. Use your favorite vegetables, swap chickpeas for lentils, add some quinoa or rice for extra bulk, omit the cheese or use a vegan alternative, and feel free to add any other protein of your choice. The options are endless, but remember not to switch up the salad dressing!

Enjoy experimenting with this versatile and flavorful Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Salad with Curry Mustard Dressing!

Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Salad with Curry Mustard Dressing

Prep time: 45 minutes plus extra time for the pumpkin to cook

Makes: 2 main serves or 6 as a side salad

Dietary Guide: The recipe is gluten free and vegan if using vegan goat’s cheese. To make it FODMAP friendly see the end of the recipe.

Ingredients

For the salad

1 red bell pepper, halved and deseeded
1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
¼ small to medium cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large wedge of Japanese or Kent pumpkin (about 1/8th of a pumpkin)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stalks)
1 can of chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons of toasted pepitas
150g of goat's cheese (or vegan cheese alternative)
Optional: 2 tablespoons of dukkah
Optional: Handful of small mint leaves

For the Curry Mustard Dressing (approximately ¼ cup):

1 teaspoon of curry powder
2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of mild smooth mustard (I use American style)
2 teaspoons of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
Peel the pumpkin (unless you like the skin) and cut it into bite-sized chunks. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and slightly caramelized. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and set it aside to cool.
Meanwhile make the curry dressing. Dry roast the curry powder in a small frypan over medium heat for a few minutes stirring frequently. I find a rubber spatula best for this as it ensure no curry powder is gettign stuck to the bottom of the frypan and burning. When the curry power has started to go darker in colour (but not too dark or it will got bitter) add the 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for another few minutes and then cool. Once cool, add to a jar along with the rest of the dressing ingredients and a pinch of salt, shake very well (ensure it is completely smooth and it should thicken up) and taste. Adjust if needed. Place in the fridge until needed.
Place the two halves of the red bell pepper on the same baking tray, skin side up. Toss the red onion and cauliflower with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and add them to the tray. Roast for about 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly charred and tender.
Remove the tray from the oven and place the charred red bell pepper in a small bowl with a lid. Let it sit for five minutes to allow the steam to help loosen the skin. Peel the skin off the red bell pepper and roughly chop it.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained chickpeas, baby spinach, coriander, toasted pepitas, and cooled roasted vegetables (pumpkin, red bell pepper, red onion, and cauliflower).
Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat the ingredients. Adjust the for seasoning according to your taste and add the rest of the dressing if you think it needs it.
Gently fold in the goat's cheese (or vegan cheese alternative).
Serve the salad scattered with optional dukkah or extra coriander leaves. If desired, garnish with a handful of small mint leaves for a fresh touch.

Note: The salad can be enjoyed immediately or chilled in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let the flavors meld together. If making ahead, wait to add the dressing and goat's cheese until just before serving to prevent the salad from becoming soggy.

Enjoy your delicious Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Salad with Curry Mustard Dressing!

FODMAP friendly adaptation: Omit the red onions and use ½ cup of chopped green spring onion. Replace the garlic in curry dressing with ½ a teaspoon of garlic oil (less if you don't want it too garlicky). Make sure you use Japanese pumpkin and not butternut. Red capsicum, chickpeas and cauliflower can be tolerated to varying amounts by people on the FODMAP diet so best to check the Monash guide to be sure. You may choose to use other safe vegetables such as broccolini, eggplant (limit to 75g per serve), cabbage (delicious grilled!), oyster mushrooms, parsnip, potato or squash.