On a chilly day a few weeks ago, roasted veggies sounded really good to me! When I was buying the veggies, I also spotted a large bag of chopped kale that was reasonably priced, so I thought I’d make a Roasted Veggie and Kale Salad! It’s a great salad to make, not only on those chilly end-of-winter and early spring days, but all spring and summer long. It’s a wonderful way to use your garden veggies or veggies you buy from your local farmers’ market! If you don’t grow your own kale, I recommend using a bag of pre-chopped kale for this salad, just to save some time in your prep work.

The first step in making this salad is to slice/chop your veggies and roast them. I used carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, and sugar snap peas. You can use these veggies or substitute others that you might like better. The photo above shows how I arranged my veggies on a large 12 x 18″ baking sheet and then drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic, and fresh rosemary.

This photo, above, shows how the roasted veggies look arranged on a bed of chopped kale that has been coated with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

And the finishing touches are the toppings of crumbled feta cheese and roasted sunflower seeds and/or pepitas—yum! If you like roasted veggies, I’m sure you will love this salad! Serve it as a main dish or as a side for lunch or dinner!

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ROASTED VEGGIE AND KALE SALAD by NancyC

Makes 6 to 8 servings

For roasted veggies:

• 2 cups sliced carrots or petite baby peeled carrots
• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 2 cups sliced or chopped red or yellow bell pepper (or 1 cup of each)
• 1 cup sliced red onion
• 2 cups sugar snap peas
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

For salad:

• 7 cups chopped and lightly-packed kale, stems removed
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• Optional: a drizzle of your favorite salad dressing, about 1/4 cup
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds or pepitas (or 1 Tablespoon of each)

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a large rimmed 12 x 18″ baking sheet (or two 10 x 15″ baking sheets) with parchment paper. Spread veggies on the lined baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Next, sprinkle the veggies with the minced garlic, sea salt, pepper, and rosemary.*

Place pan of veggies in oven and roast at 425˚F for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender (stir every 10 minutes to ensure even baking).

While veggies are roasting, in a large serving bowl or platter (a large, wide and flat type of serving bowl works best), toss the kale with the olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and dash of pepper, massaging all ingredients together with your hands so the kale is lightly coated and slightly softened. Arrange kale in an even layer at the bottom of your serving bowl or platter.

When veggies in oven are finished roasting, arrange them over the layer of kale.** Top the roasted veggies with the feta cheese, and then sprinkle the roasted sunflower seeds and/or pepitas over everything, and serve.

*NOTE: Another way you can prepare the veggies for roasting is to put the veggies in a large bowl and add the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, sea salt, pepper, and rosemary. Stir until veggies are coated with the oil, herbs, and seasonings, and then place on the parchment-lined pan for roasting.

**NOTE: The olive oil and lemon juice that coat the kale and veggies make a great light dressing, so none extra is needed, but if you like lots of dressing on your salad, drizzle about 1/4 cup over the veggies and kale, and then sprinkle on the feta cheese and sunflower seeds or pepitas.

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Are you a fan of roasted veggies? Do you have a special way of serving them?

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