One great salad.

Everyone has that one great relative who is just the epitome of style. Mine is my Aunt. I don't know what it is, or how she does it, but she has this effortless quality that makes her stylish wardrobe and dinner parties look effortless.

I remember a time she came over for dinner and bought this super delicious Roast Pumpkin salad. I must have been young, because up until that point, my knowledge of salad consisted of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cheese. Everything about her salad was divine; the smell, the presentation, the colours. And it looked so effortless.

I had some girlfriends over for dinner last night, and in an effort to appear effortless, I decided to make the legendary pumpkin salad (plus warmer roast salads are the best in winter months).

It was so easy, it has become my new almost favourite salad (I don't want to say it's definitively my favourite because favourite salads are dependent on daily mood). I allowed plenty of time to prepare, and ended up Facebook surfing most of the time, as it took almost no time to cook and was super easy to toss together.

And it was a great hit with the girls!

What you need

1 Butternut pumpkin

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup walnuts

200g/one packet baby spinach/rocket

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Dressing

1/3 cup honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

What to do

1. Deseed butternut and cut into 2cm chunks. Place in bowl, pour olive oil on top, and toss to coat.

2. Spread out a single layer on a foil lined baking tray (or two).

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to personal taste (you can also add other spices here too if you wish) and pop into a 250°C oven for about 25 minutes, or until looking golden and cooked.

4. Place the dressing ingredients into a microwave safe container with a lid and shake until mixed. Remove the lid and microwave for 90 seconds until the honey is melted and runs like water.

5. Place pine nuts into a small saucepan and cook until brown (this should only take about 2-3 minutes, be careful as they're super easy to burn).

6. Remove pumpkin from the oven and assemble salad by tossing leaves, pumpkin, nuts and dressing in a bowl.

7. Serve and enjoy the benefits of being a culinary genius.

P.S. Thanks to Taste.com for the top image (no, this isn't the one I made, I didn't think to take photos. I was too wrapped up in the taste!)