Roasted Vegetable and Pear Salad with Honey Ginger Vinaigrette
This recipe combines hearty winter vegetables and greens with fruit and a fresh pop of ginger and mint, which is perfect for the transition months of March and April. You can use almost any leftover roasted root vegetables or greens from your box (the original recipe, created by Scott Phillips for Fine Cooking magazine, called for butternut squash, rutabaga, and sweet potato) and top it with almost anything that goes with Asian flavors to make it a great midday meal.
Our favorite version of this salad is roasted sweet potatoes topped with almonds and bacon, but try it with cheese, roasted chicken, sesame seeds, or whatever you have left over from last night's dinner for an excellent work-from-home lunch. Or toss it with brown rice or quinoa and some extra dressing and chill it for a few hours for a delicious winter grain salad that keeps well in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the salad:
4 cups of hearty greens, torn
3 cups of cubed root vegetables (about 1" thick)
1 pear, cut into wedges
olive oil
kosher salt
Your choice of toppings (roasted chicken, toasted almonds, bacon, cheese)
For the dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 scallions, chopped fine
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mint
1 tsp dijon mustard
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
10 minutes
Prep Time:
30 Minutes
Cook Time:
Makes:
4 Servings
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle root vegetables with olive oil and salt and toss to coat. Roast vegetables and pear until soft and toasted on one side. Remove from oven and let cool.
In a small saucepan, sautee scallions until they are soft and slightly browned. Meanwhile, add all other dressing ingredients except the ginger to a salad shaker or bowl and shake or whisk until combined. When the scallions are soft, add ginger to the pan and sautee, constantly stirring, for about a minute. Remove from stove, pour into shaker or bowl, and mix vigorously until fully combined.
Add all the salad ingredients except the toppings in a large bowl and toss with 2/3 of the salad dressing until coated, adding more dressing to taste. Divide into four plates, add toppings, and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.