Roasted Vegetable Salad

Hello hello! This week I’m meal prepping one of my favorite salads. It is my go-to roasted veggie salad. When I’m meal prepping I either include a salad recipe on the menu or I buy greens to make a salad on the fly throughout the week. I also try to alternate between the type of greens I buy at the grocery store: spinach, arugula, kale, lettuce, and spring mix. I like to have variety in the foods that I eat. I think this salad satisfies that because it is so diverse. It has everything and anything. Feel free to add to it or leave something out that you don’t like!

Now, let me walk you through how I make it. I choose greens: kale, a starch: sweet potato, and a protein: roasted chickpeas. Then I add in other things that I think will taste good together. I add carrots and red bell peppers for sweetness and red onion for flavor. This salad has the colors of the rainbow which is important for getting antioxidants that fight free radical damage in the body. Lastly, dressing! In this recipe it is the most important part because when you add tahini (ground up sesame seeds) to chickpeas you get a complete protein! FYI, a complete protein contains all nine of the essential amino acids that we must get from our diet. Wait, so I don’t need to add meat to this salad?! No, no you don’t.

Let’s get started.

Follow the instructions below to prepare and roast the ingredients so they get done around the same time. If that stresses you out because you can’t multitask then do the recipes separate! Or do all the prep work/chopping in the beginning. Do what works for you.

Ingredients (serves 3):

Greens:

• 1 bunch of kale
• 2 tsp extra virgin avocado oil

Chickpeas:

• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas
• 1/2 tbsp avocado oil (high smoking point oil)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 black pepper

Roasted Veggies:

• 4 large carrots
• 2 small organic sweet potatoes
• 1 organic red pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1-2 tbsp avocado oil (high smoking point oil)

Tahini Dressing:

• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-2 tbsp water to thin it out
• A pinch of salt

Instructions:

Chickpeas:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and line a pan with parchment paper.
2. Drain and rise the chickpeas.
3. Using a towel dry thoroughly. You don’t want the extra moisture on the chickpeas because it will result in them steaming.
4. First bake JUST the chickpeas 15 minutes at 400°.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the spices and set aside.
6. While the chickpeas are roasting start “Roasted Veggies” below.
7. After 15 minutes, drizzle the oil over the chickpeas until well coated. Then pour over the spices and mix until evenly coated.
8. Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 more minutes, stirring halfway.

Roasted Veggies:

1. Chop the sweet potatoes and carrots into bite sized pieces and slice the red pepper and red onion.
2. Line a pan with parchment paper. Add the veggies and drizzle with oil. Mix with your hands.
3. Bake at 400° for 30-40 minutes

Greens:

1. Debone the kale.
2. Chop or pull apart the kale into bite sized pieces.
3. Massage the kale with the oil until the leaves are soft.

Tahini Dressing:

1. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Taste and add ingredients accordingly.

Assemble the salad:

1. Start with the kale and top with roasted veggies and chickpeas and drizzle with the tahini dressing.