We hope you’ve all had the chance to kick back and relax over the Christmas season. We spent the festivities with our families, and for the first time ever, hosted Christmas in our new flat in Bristol! We all managed to squeeze in our flat and, most importantly, ate and drank our share of delicious vegan treats!
Our holidays are over now and we’re slowly easing into 2020. It’s the start of a new year and a new decade, so now is a great time to reflect on the last year and set resolutions for the new one. One resolution on my list is trying to cut down on unhealthy snacks between meals. One of my favourite ways of doing this is eating really hearty, healthy, and fulfilling food.
This recipe definitely fits that criteria. Our seasonal warming maple roasted winter veg salad is packed with comforting roasted veggies like squash and beetroot which are a perfect match with the peppery rocket leaves. This is also a great recipe to make as a big batch and keep boxed up in the fridge since it’s just as delicious cold too.
My favourite part of this whole plate has to be the roasted leeks. Before making this recipe, Freya and I had never cooked with leeks (I know, what have we been doing?!) but now we absolutely love them. When roasted, they melt in your mouth and have such a unique sweet and savoury flavour thanks to the smokey maple seasoning. If you’re looking for a healthy meal that’s filling and delicious then give this a try!
Warming Maple Roasted Winter Veg Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Veg:
- 2 leeks, trimmed, cut in half lengthways & then cut into thirds
- 1/2 butternut squash, cut into 2cm cubes
- 20 Brussels sprouts, cut into 2cm cubes
- 4 cooked beetroots, cut into wedges
- 1 + 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 + 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- Big pinch salt & pepper (to taste)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp cider vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp salt
Lentils:
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tin cooked puy lentils, drained (400g)
- Pinch of salt & pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- A small handful of mint leaves, roughly torn
Salad:
- 1 small bag of rocket
- 2 large handfuls of spinach
- 2 peeled oranges, sliced into rounds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Make your seasoning mixture by adding olive oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, cumin & smoked paprika to a jug, then stir together. Place the beetroot, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts in a mixing bowl, then pour over roughly 2/3 of the seasoning mixture and toss the veggies to coat them. Tip them out onto a baking tray and leave to one side.
- Pop the leeks face down on a separate baking tray and drizzle with the remaining seasoning mix. Note: The leeks should be seasoned separately as they are too delicate to be tossed with the other veggies when seasoning. If you’re using a very large baking tray then they can be cooked on the same tray as the other veggies. Place the veggies in the oven and cook for 25 mins.
- Prepare your dressing by combining olive oil, pomegranate molasses, cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl then leave to one side.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add in the garlic & onion and cook for a few minutes. Then add the puy lentils, salt, pepper, lemon juice and cumin. Stir for a few minutes then turn the heat off and leave to one side. Add the spinach leaves, rocket and roasted beetroot, Brussels sprouts and butternut squash to a large salad bowl and toss together.
- Warm up the lentils if they’ve gone cold and stir in the mint leaves. Then add the lentils to the salad bowl and mix everything together. Plate up the salad, adding the orange slices and leeks to the side. Finish with a drizzle of your homemade dressing.
Notes
If you gave this a go, we’d love to know how you got on! Write a comment, like, or share this recipe with your friends.