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Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad With Apple Cider-Honey Vinaigrette

Winter is a wonderful time. Earthy, hearty, beautiful root vegetables are in abundance. But what to do with them?  I say roast them. I love slightly browned roasted vegetables lightly toasted in olive oil. Straight-up, as a side dish, or here, mixed together in a hearty winter salad. This roasted winter vegetable salad hits the nail on the head for any holiday gathering you may be planning with friends and family.

roasted winter vegetable salad

A few things about roasting vegetables everyone should know: roasting certain vegetables actually increases what’s called the bioavailability of the nutrients in them. For example, you get more carotenoids from butternut squash if you roast it, rather than steaming or sautéing it. Cooking vegetables without water takes away fewer nutrients from them. So while raw tends to be very best, roasting leaves more nutrition intact compared to boiling or sautéing. Roasting is also typically the easiest cooking method, drawing out vegetables’ natural sweetness while cutting down the need for excess oil or seasoning.

roasted winter vegetable salad

Some prep work is required in getting the assortment of vegetables–in this case Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and cauliflower–ready to be roasted.  But that is as hard as it gets with this recipe. You can whip up the apple cider-honey vinaigrette while the veggies are roasting, or the day before. Tossed with some simple organic mixed greens (stay away from Romaine still), and you have a lovely seasonal salad guaranteed to please just about anyone. For holiday prep, I get all my vegetables ready the day prior so that all I need to do is roast them off.

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

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