Recipe: Warm Winter Vegetable Salad with Maple-Cranberry Vinaigrette Dressing (serves 2)

WARM WINTER VEGETABLE SALAD

"In this perfect cold-weather salad, my favorite winter vegetables are roasted (as they should be, to keep them delicious and to keep your home warm and toasty), then tossed in a delightful pink vinaigrette that tastes as if it came right from a rustic Vermont kitchen. Feel free to play around with the vegetables you use here; if you have a different favorite, sub it in.



"Because the salad is so hearty it also keeps well for several days, and can be eaten straight from the fridge or rewarmed in a pan or the microwave. I like to put one person on vegetable duty while the other makes the vinaigrette."

Makes 2 servings

FOR THE VEGETABLES:
1 cup (3/4-inch cubes ) butternut squash or sweet potato
1 medium parsnip, chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup halved Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 shallot, quartered
1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Water, as needed
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

TO PREPARE THE VEGETABLES:
On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toss together the butternut squash, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, avocado oil, and salt until the vegetables are well coated. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer, spacing them apart. Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and roast for 20 minutes more, until the vegetables
are fork-tender and beginning to brown. Sprinkle the pecans on the pan and roast for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pecans are golden. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer everything to a large bowl.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE DRESSING:
Place the shallot, cranberries, olive oil, orange zest and juice, apple cider vinegar,
maple syrup, and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until mostly smooth with some cranberry flecks. If needed, add 1 tablespoon water at a time to thin it out. Add the mustard and thyme, and pulse until well-distributed.

Pour the cranberry vinaigrette over the vegetables and pecans, and toss to coat before serving.

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Healthier Together: Recipes for Two - Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships: A Cookbook by Liz Moody