Recipe: meal in a bowl spring salad
I love adding baked vegetables to my salads. This year crispy roast broccoli and broccolini have been a star.
Without a lettuce leaf in sight, this satisfying salad combines cooked veggies, chickpeas or protein of your choice and a tangy dressing that packs a punch. The recipe is flexible enough to transform any vegetables that need to be used up and avoid food waste. Get creative!
Meal in a bowl spring salad
Cut the vegetables you want to bake into bite sized pieces, toss in oil, sea salt and pepper. Cook in a hot oven (200c) until cooked. If using corn, put the whole cob in the oven as is without removing the papery husk. They’ll naturally steam when baked intact and don’t need any oil.
For this version of spring salad I roasted broccoli and cauliflower, sliced into smallish pieces, and corn on the cob. They take about 20+ minutes depending on your oven. Sweet potato and asparagus are also delicious when cooked this way.
I blanched green beans in hot water for a minute then drained and left to cool in iced water.
Make a green goddess dressing. It’s handy way to use up any leftover avocado, as even a tablespoon whizzed through makes the dressing thicker and lush. Fresh herbs (I used dill, parsley and coriander from the garden) spike the dressing with their delicious flavours.
If you don’t have these ingredients, a tangy lemon vinaigrette with a dollop of Dijon mustard and a little garlic also works well.
To assemble the salad
Remove the husk from the corn and slice kernels from the cob.
Baked vegetables can be added straight from the oven while still crispy, or allowed to cool if you prefer.
Remove blanched vegetables from the iced water and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
Rinse a can of chickpeas in hot water and drain well. If you’re not a fan of beans, adding toasted seeds and nuts or animal protein of your choice makes this a balanced meal.
Add a handful of capers.
Toss through the green goddess dressing or vinaigrette.
Have fun creating your salad, use what’s in season and affordable. Try to include a variety of colours.
For spring salad inspiration check this how to guide to create tasty salads every time and explore the recipe archive.
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