Warm Roasted Veggie Salad

I know I’ve talked about this before and I want to talk about it again… leftovers. I love leftovers. I don’t even call them that. I call them holdovers. I’ll make more of something that I need for that evening’s meal so that I can either have it again or create another meal with it.

When I roast veggies, and I roast veggies all the time, I always make more than I need. For a classic Mediterranean mix, grab some eggplant, zucchini, red onion and peppers.

Toss with olive oil and season well with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and oregano.

Hey man, we need some space

If you see that your veggies are getting crowded, as with the eggplant above, grab another pan and distribute. Veggies always roast better when they’re not bumping into each other. No sweat if you  line the plans with foil. It’s super-easy to clean up.

I use roasted veggies throughout the week as a side dish with fish or chicken. Or with scrambled eggs. Or tucked into an omelet or a frittata. Eggs poached over roasted veggies, moistened with a bit of tomato sauce, are oh-so-good.

And for a terrific, quick and satisfying meal, I’ll do a beautiful composed salad featuring warmed-up roasted veggies on a bed of greens to which I almost always add sliced green onions and cucumbers.

On top I’ll layer the warmed roasted vegetables, whether Mediterranean-style, a single veggie like carrots, potatoes or mushrooms, or a cauliflower medley. Click here for my bb recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Medley and Tips for Roasting Veggies. .

Top it with crumbled goat cheese or sliced chicken held over from an earlier meal. And I’ll top that with toasted pine nuts or chopped nuts such as walnuts or pistachios

Voila! You’ve got a winner that will soon become one of your go-to meals when you don’t feel like cooking. This is assembling in the best and healthiest sense of the word. And while you’re still firing up that grill, hold on to the veggies that didn’t get eaten so that you can make this salad later. Remember to heat the veggies… the greens will wilt ever-so-slightly and the results will make  everyone happy.

Warm Roasted Veggie Salad

Ingredients:

Directions:

To prepare the roasted veggies:

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. Line roasting pans with foil. Drizzle pans with olive oil and toss veggies in  oil. Add the seasonings and toss again. Roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing halfway-through. Veggies are done when they are at your desired level of tenderness. (I like them soft… not into the crisp-tender thing.)

To prepare the salad:

Toss greens with cucumbers and green onions.  If you like, include celery and/or hearts of palm. Drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a bit of salt and pepper and toss. Arrange on a platter or set up on two plates.

Heat held-over roasted veggies in microwave for 1 minute. Add to the top of the greens.

Crumble goat cheese over the top. To finish, add pine nuts.

Arrange cherry tomato halves around the outside of the plate, if you like.

Serves 2 as a main dish.