Veg and recipe - warm roasted root veg salad

Salads aren’t just for the summer.  Winter root vegetable salad is comforting and tasty but is also packed with the fibre, vitamins, and nutrients your body needs in the colder months.

Wash or peel one or two each of whatever root vegetables you want to use - beetroot, butternut squash and celariac work well.  Cut them into cubes and chop one or two red onions into small chunks.  You can add a tin of drained chickpeas to this too for extra protein - but they’ll crisp up more on a tray on their own.  Season with salt and pepper, a teaspoon of oregano and a teaspoon of paprika.  Drizzle with oil and make sure the vegetables are nicely coated.

Bake the vegetables for 25-30 minutes until they’re sweet and soft.  Scoop the soft warm vegetables into a bowl.  You can also add a few cups of cooked grains such as spelt, barley or quinoa or some cooked lentils.  Add a tangy vinaigrette made with 1 tbsp honey, or pomegranate molasses, added to around 4 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of lemon juice.

Chopped-up walnuts or toasted seeds are another excellent addition as is blue cheese or feta.  You can also garnish this with chopped parsley or a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and have as a side dish or a main meal.