Sunday, August 29, 2010

A Chunky Salad that will floor the Salad Sceptics out there

So I am a classic after-dinner muncher. We eat early and by 8 o'clock I'm usually looking for a bowl of cereal or some other carby treat. We've been trying to do No-Carbs-After-5, and this 'salad' is one meal that really leaves me feeling full for the whole night. I also think this is the exception to the 'You can't win friends with salad' song, the texture is fantastic!

Ingredients
4 beetroots
1/4 Pumpkin (I like Jap or Kent)
2 Sweet potatoes (yes ok so this is a carb and the pumpkin prolly is too!)
1 onion cut into big chunks (eights or so)
Crunchy mixed sprouts
Walnuts (roasted under the grill)
Rocket or baby spinach
6 garlic cloves

Dressing
2 tbs Seeded mustard
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
Pepper
(Taste and adjust)

Start the beetroots cooking early, they usually take up to half an hour. Place them whole into yor saucepan (I usually half steam half boil them,) taking care not to cut the beetroots in any way or they will 'bleed', you can remove the spinachy stems but leave the root on for now.

Pack your pumpkin, sweet potato, onion and whole garlic cloves (still in their skin, don't unwrap them) into a hot oven- I usually start them in a hot oven, about 200 degrees (fan forced) for 10 minutes and then turn it down to 180 for another 15-20 mins. They seem to love this hot start by the time they are finished the scrummy vegies will be sweet and soft, the onion crunchy and the garlic caramelised.

The beetroots are cooked when you can poke a knife into them. Hold each beetroot under running water to rub off the skins and slice into chunks.

Place greenery onto a plate and pile high with beetroot, peeled garlic and roast vegetables*.  Sprinkle crunchy sprouts and walnuts over the salad and top with dressing. You may like to leave the garlic in their skins so each person can enjoy scraping the sticky golden bits out with a knife.

*No points here for small serves people, go for it. This serves 2 of us, but we eat a portion more suitable for a baby rhino. So if you're more humble, it probably serves 4.

No comments:

Post a Comment