Awesome Roasted Vegetable Salad

The only word that comes to mind about this is “awesome.” After one taste, I was in heaven.

Maybe that’s because it has all the veggies I’m crazy about and that’s eggplant mainly. I cannot begin to say how much roasting these vegetables brings out terrific flavor. The main reason is the sugar that’s in them caramelizes and they get slightly crispy too.

And the dressing? Well, that’s to die for and I’m sure you’ll make it to use on other salads too. It would probably make a great marinade for meats as well.

Oh That Dressing

The dressing is so simple to make that you wouldn’t believe how flavorful it is.

It’s quite garlicky, but I love garlic so I used two large cloves. If you don’t want it as strong as I do then go with one clove.

It’s also important here not to substitute onion for the shallot. Yes, I know they’re pricy, but you don’t need much. One small shallot is more than enough. And do use the whole-grain dijon mustard because it adds a bit more texture. I’m also sure you’ll really like the whole-grain variety, so it will be money well spent.

The vinaigrette will automatically emulsify when you use the mustard, so there’s no dribbling the oil in this. I consider that a real plus!

Grill Or Oven

While I did this in the oven because it was a chilly (yes, even in late May) and rainy day, this is also well suited to outdoor grilling. You will need one of those BBQ trays with holes in it for this due to the small pieces of vegetables. One of those large grill pans will do nicely.

As I said before, I did this in my oven. I’m lucky enough to have a dual-fuel range that has a true convection oven setting. If you have a large convection oven, that’s the way to go with this because the vegetables will roast nicely and crisp up.

The Recipe

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Roasted Vegetable Salad

Even the kiddos will beg for seconds of these veggies

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Course: Main, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish/Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: roasted vegetables, salad, vegetarian

Servings: 6

Calories: 291kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant (aubergine) halved and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups butternut squash peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium zucchini (courgettes) halved and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 large red peppers seeds removed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dressing

• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove crushed

Topping:

• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbs coarsely chopped mint
• 2 tbs coarsely chopped basil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (if you have a convection oven preheat to 400 degrees F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment.
• Put the vegetables into a bowl, add the oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until coated. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheets.
• Roast in the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until golden and little crisp Leave to cool on the baking sheets.
• For the dressing, measure all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
• Put the vegetables on a serving platter or in a bowl. Pour over the dressing and check the seasoning. Sprinle with the feta., mint and basil and serve.

Notes

Adapted from Mary Berry

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1Portion | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 625mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 6500IU | Vitamin C: 74.7mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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Here’s a simple chicken dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.

Stunningly Simple

If you want a dinner that’s on the table within 30 minutes and one that’s healthy too, then this is it.

I recently took an online course called, “Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking.”  One of the dishes the chef instructor prepared was this chicken.  It looked so good and easy, I just had to do it for myself.

I highly recommend this course.  I have been really BLAH about cooking lately and I have to say, this inspired me to get back into the kitchen again and get creative.

Leftover Greens

The chef instructor said to use up any salad greens you have in the fridge, but he demonstrated this with arugula, radicchio and Belgian endive.  I love arugula and will look for any excuse to eat it, but I’ve never tried radicchio nor Belgian endive. This was a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Tomatoes are a must in this salad. I used cherry and grape tomatoes and I included orange and yellow varieties so the meal would be more colorful.  Now that summer home-grown tomato crops are ready to harvest, these work perfectly here. Home-grown tomatoes have such wonderful flavor, so forgoing color variety for taste is way better.

Tasty Dressing

The vinaigrette dressing is made in the same skillet the chicken was cooked in.

The dressing is simple yet tasty. It gets a lot of flavor from the browned bits (called “fond”) that remain in the skillet after you saute the chicken. All you do is deglaze the pan with a bit of chicken stock then reduce that down till all that’s left is about a tablespoon or two. Then it’s just preparing a standard vinaigrette dressing which is 1 part acid to 2-3 parts oil.

The Recipe

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Chicken with Warm Arugula & Radicchio Vinaigrette

Here’s a simple chicken dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Brunch, Chicken, Everyday Meals, lunch, salads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 30-minute meals, arugula, chicken

Servings: 2

Calories: 617kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 medium chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small head of radicchio torn into pieces
• 2 cups arugula1 small Belgian endive torn into pieces
• 1 cup grape tomatoes of varying colors cut in half (see NOTES)
• Dressing:
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• juice of 1/2 a large lemon
• 3-4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Instructions

• Using a meat mallet, pound chicken down to a uniform thickness of about 1/4-inch. Season each side with a bit of salt and coarsely ground pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tbs of olive oil and when the oil shimmers, place chicken in the pan.
• Brown well on both sides. Remove chicken and keep warm.
• To make dressing, deglaze the pan with the 1/2 cup of chicken stock, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits. Turn heat to medium-high and reduce until there's about 2 tbs of liquid in the pan.
• Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Add any additional salt and pepper at this time. Also if you want a tangier dressing, feel free to add a few drops more of lemon juice. If you find the dressing too tart, stir in a pinch or two of sugar.
• In a large bowl, mix the salad ingredients. Add about 2 tbs of the warm dressing and toss to coat.
• Divide salad onto 2 plates and place chicken on top of salad. Drizzle remaining dressing over each plate.

Notes

Home-grown tomatoes are an excellent substitute.

Recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 617kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 1266mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

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