raw & roasted salad

Last night we had this for dinner:

Yum!

A perfect combination of summer and winter in one bowl. Inspired by the "Rip's Roasted Salad" recipe from the Engine 2 Diet book.

And the best part for a mom of four children who maddeningly do not like the exact same things to eat? Completely customizable to your family's tastes and favorite veggies.

The second (and third) best parts? Super easy to prepare and lends itself to leftovers.

Check, check and check.

The recipe below is for the salad I created last night. Additional ideas for raw and roasted ingredients can be found in the recipe footnotes box.

Raw & Roasted Salad. Serves 6. Here we go:

raw ingredients:
romaine lettuce
kale
mandarin or naval oranges
small red pepper, diced

roasted ingredients:
2-3 sweet potatoes for sweet potato fries
1 head of cauliflower
2 stalks of broccoli
1-2 handfuls of frozen green beans
1-2 onions, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup of frozen corn

Roasting instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel 1-2 sweet potatoes (or more if you want leftovers). Cut into classic fry shape. Spread over parchment paper and sprinkle with cinnamon and chili powder. Cook for 1 hour flipping the fries at least once to ensure even cooking. If desired, cook a little longer to achieve a thicker skin on the outside of the fries.

3. (optional for the cauliflower): Dilute 2-3 tablespoons in approximately 1/4 c almond milk. Season to taste with garlic powder. I didn't measure the ingredients as I was doing this - sometimes I like to live on the wild side when I'm cooking. ;) Toss cauliflower to coat in the mixture.

4. In the last 15 minutes of cooking the sweet potatoes, put the cauliflower, broccoli and onions in the oven until the cauliflower and broccoli are fork tender and the onion begins to caramelize.

5. 10 minutes before the other veggies are roasted, pop in the green beans and corn to defrost.

6. Cool roasted veggies slightly so they don't wilt the lettuce then toss together with the greens and add your favorite salad dressing (see recipe footnotes).

Recipe Footnotes

Suggested dressing: Orange Hummus Dressing (also from the Engine 2 book)
I really liked this sugar- and oil-free dressing - the ginger pairs well with the warm veggie flavors.
3T hummus
2T balsamic vinegar
3T fresh orange juice
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp fresh, minced ginger

Mix all ingredients well. Makes enough for two large salads.


other raw ingredient options:
your favorite raw greens
mango
shredded carrot
sunflower seeds (raw)

other roasted ingredient options:
potatoes
diced butternut squash
carrots
eggplant
mushrooms