Roasted Sprout Salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing

It’s that lull between Christmas and new year but we are back with another recipe. It’s little later than usual as I got swept up in the Christmas chaos of 2 littles ones running around very excitedly.

So I’m sure many of us are feel rather full and rather bloated as we approach new year. In the coming weeks I can’t wait to share with you some more plant based recipes and recipes based around our fermented foods at The Fermentation Station so you lovely lot can increase your plant diversity and get your gut micro biome kicking again.

But for now please enjoy this simple roasted veg salad to use up the last of those sprouts that may be lingering in the bottom of your fridge.

This salad is packed with over 16 different plants and is so cosy with the warm roasted veg drizzled with a sweet orange and balsamic dressing paired with a few festive touches like pecans and cranberry’s you can enjoy this on its own in a big bowl in front of the fire or even as a sharing dish for your New Year’s Eve feast.

Roasted Sprout Salad with a Maple Dressing
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a sharing side

Ingredients:
500g sprouts
1 squash
1 beetroot
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup cranberries
2tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
100g fresh spinach

for the dressing:
2tbsp maple syrup
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
1tsp dijon mustard
juice from half an orange
1tsp salt

for garnish:
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
micro parsley (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

2. Start by chopping the sprouts in half and the squash in 2 cm cubes and add to a baking tray. Season with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil and mix well to ensure coated.

3. Chop the beetroot into 2 cm cubes and add to another baking tray. Season with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil and mix well to ensure coated.

4. Roast the beetroot for 40 mins. Roast the sprouts and squash for 30 mins.

5. Use this time to prepare the dressing. Add the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, orange juice and salt to a small dish and mix with a fork until smooth.

6. Add the roasted sprouts, squash and beetroot to a serving bowl along with spinach, pecans, cranberries.

7. Pour over the dressing, toss together and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds.

8. Garnish with fresh parsley if you fancy, this is optional.

9. Serve right away warm or this salad is just as nice eaten cold and will last 3 days in the fridge. *

   * If you’re preparing this salad ahead of time for a dinner, I would suggest not to assemble the salad in full as the dressing will make the spinach leaves wilt more quickly. Roast your veggies and whip up your dressing and store in separate an air tight containers until the day, where you can simply chuck everything in together last minute.