Caramelized Root Vegetable Salad

Until I decided to try making salads with winter vegetables, I wasn't crazy about beets. In fact, I wasn't a fan of carrots and I don't remember ever tasting a rutabaga.














When I saw this display of organic root vegetables, I knew I had to try to add these seasonal veggies into my winter meals. Now I'm a convert!

The first time I had roasted beets in a salad I was surprised - they were a lot better than I remembered. So, I picked up some beets, carrots and a rutabaga and started experimenting. The result is this colorful, nutrition-rich salad. Since I used nuts and cheese as a garnish, I figured I was getting enough protein, so it was a meat-free meal.

Time: 30 minutes prep. 1 1/2 hours

Yield: Serves 4

Level: Easy

Ingredients:

3 beets

2 carrots

1 rutabaga

Olive oil, enough to coat the vegetables

Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh, chopped herbs (I used 1 sprig of rosemary)

1/4 cup feta cheese (chèvre is good too)

Arugula

Romaine Lettuce

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Keeping in mind that beets stain just about everything they touch, you'll want to be prepared with glass bowls, a non-wood cutting board, and a metal spoon. Trim and peel the vegetables, then chop into 1 inch pieces and place in separate mixing bowls. Throughout the process I kept the beets separate from the rest to avoid the transfer of color onto the other veggies.

 

Pour olive oil in each bowl of veggies. Add herbs and sprinkle generously with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Stir them until all of the vegetables are evenly coated.

Put veggies in a baking dish and roast at 400 degrees for 1 hour,
stirring halfway through. Be very careful with the cooking time, at 400 degrees the small pieces and herbs burn quickly!

Once cooked (tender when pierced with a fork) let them cool a bit, and place them in a large serving bowl. Add arugula and mix well. Top with nuts and cheese then drizzle with balsamic vinegar.