Warm salad with bell peppers and pumpkin seeds – healthy vegan recipe

Warm salads are one of the smartest choices for a balanced diet during the colder months. They’re rich in vitamins, minerals, micro- and macronutrients, and at the same time they warm the body and provide long-lasting satiety without overloading the digestive system. This warm bell pepper salad with pumpkin seeds is a wholesome vegan dish, perfect for fasting periods or anyone looking for a nourishing plant-based recipe. It enhances your daily nutrition and delivers true gastronomic pleasure.

Pumpkin seeds are packed with magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamins K and E, dietary fiber and amino acids such as arginine and tryptophan. Regular consumption of pumpkin seeds may help to support healthy stomach acidity levels, reduce heartburn and bloating, improve intestinal motility and promote digestive wellness.

Just 30 g of pumpkin seeds per day provides a significant amount of daily fiber and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the body from oxidative stress caused by free radicals.

CraftOil offers fresh, organic, carefully selected pumpkin seeds — both in-shell and hulless varieties. They are free from preservatives, stored under ideal conditions, and packed in eco-friendly kraft paper bags on the day of purchase. These pumpkin seeds are perfect for healthy snacks (clean eating / PP snacks), adding to salads, soups and main dishes, baking (savory and sweet) and for producing raw, cold-pressed («live») pumpkin seed oil.

Visit our website to explore the full assortment — you’re sure to find your perfect healthy product.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For prepare you need:

• 4 large bell peppers (about 600 g total);
• 1 large red onion (about 100 g);
• 1 small lemon;
• 3–4 sprigs of dill or cilantro;
• 1 teaspoon salt;
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying and dressing);
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds;

Step-by-step preparation

Prepare the dressing. Wash the lemon and pour boiling water over it. Cut it in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt, finely chopped dill or cilantro. Mix well and set aside.

Cook the vegetables. Wash the bell peppers, remove seeds and stems, and slice into medium strips. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the peppers for 5–7 minutes. Peel the onion, wash it, and slice thinly into rings or half-rings. Add it to the peppers, stir, and cook for another 5–6 minutes.

Assemble the salad. Transfer the warm vegetables to a salad bowl. Pour over the prepared dressing. Sprinkle generously with pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately while warm.

Notes & Variations:

For this warm vegetable salad, you can use mustard oil, pumpkin seed oil and sesame oil. For a deeper, spicier flavor, add 1 teaspoon of black cumin oil (Nigella sativa oil) to the dressing.

A wide range of artisanal cold-pressed («live») oils is always available at CraftOil — a Ukrainian online store offering delicious and healthy natural products.