Roasted Root Vegetable Fall Salad with Caramelized Shallot-Fig Vinaigrette and Quinoa-Seed Brittle
The showpiece of fall salads: hearty greens piled with caramelized roasted squash, rainbow carrots, beets, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts, sweet caramelized shallots, figs, pomegranate, and creamy goat cheese, drizzled with a jammy shallot-fig vinaigrette and crowned with a crunchy, honey-toasted quinoa-seed brittle. Prefer something nutty? Use the pistachio vinaigrette instead.
Yield: Serves 6 · Active: 45 min · Total: 1 hr 15 min · Best in North America from fall into early winter, when root vegetables and pomegranates are harvested · Best eaten: midday or alongside an evening protein
Ingredients
Roasted root vegetables
2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb rainbow carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium beets (red and golden), peeled and cubed
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup Brussels sprouts, halved
Optional: 1 small purple sweet potato, cubed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Quinoa-seed brittle (makes about 1½ cups; keeps 2 weeks)
½ cup quinoa (sprouted, if you can find it), rinsed and dried very well
2 tbsp each pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds
2 tbsp pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
¼ cup raw honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
Caramelized shallots and shallot-fig vinaigrette
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tbsp grass-fed butter (or olive oil)
3 tbsp fig preserves (or 4 dried figs, soaked in hot water 10 minutes and blended)
3 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Salad
6 cups hearty greens: baby arugula, baby spinach, or massaged kale (or a mix)
½ cup radishes, thinly sliced, tossed with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt
½ cup dried Black Mission figs, sliced
½ cup pomegranate arils
1 avocado, sliced
¼–½ cup crumbled fresh goat cheese
Optional: 2 tbsp dukkah
2 green onions, thinly sliced, and flaky salt, to finish
Method
Make the brittle. Heat the oven to 325°F. After rinsing the quinoa, spread it on a clean towel and pat it very dry (wet quinoa won't crisp). Toss the quinoa, seeds, nuts, thyme, and salt with the honey and coconut oil until everything is coated. Spread it thinly on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and bake 20 minutes, stirring once, until deeply golden. Let it cool completely, until crisp, then break it into pieces.
Roast the vegetables. Raise the oven to 425°F. Toss the beets with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt, and spread them on their own small pan, so they don't stain the others. Toss the remaining vegetables with the rest of the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread them in a single layer on a large sheet pan (or two). Roast 30–35 minutes, tossing once, until deeply caramelized.
Caramelize the shallots. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the shallots, and cook 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and jammy. Don't rush this. Set half aside for the salad.
Make the shallot-fig vinaigrette. Whisk the other half of the shallots with the fig preserves, balsamic, Dijon, salt, and pepper (or blend them, for a silkier dressing), then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Assemble. Spread the greens on a large platter, and top with the roasted vegetables, reserved caramelized shallots, radishes, figs, pomegranate, avocado, and goat cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, scatter with brittle and dukkah (if using), and finish with green onions and flaky salt. Serve right away.
Option: Pistachio Vinaigrette
In place of the shallot-fig vinaigrette, whisk 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, ½ tsp lemon zest, 2 finely grated garlic cloves, and 1 tbsp raw honey, then slowly whisk in ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. Stir in 2 oz pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped, and season with salt and pepper. For a creamy finish, also drizzle the salad with ⅓ cup Greek yogurt thinned with 2 tbsp milk.
Storage
The roasted vegetables and caramelized shallots keep refrigerated up to 3 days, the vinaigrettes up to 1 week, and the brittle up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. For the best texture, assemble just before serving.
A note on honey: The honey in the brittle is baked, but the honey in the pistachio vinaigrette stays raw. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Roasted root vegetables — beta-carotene in the squash and carrots, anthocyanins in the purple varieties, and betalains and nitrates in the beets, which support healthy blood flow. Roasting them in olive oil caramelizes their natural sugars, and the oil greatly improves how much of their fat-soluble carotenoids your body absorbs.
Brussels sprouts — glucosinolates, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Leafy greens — vitamin K, folate, and magnesium.
Caramelized shallots — quercetin and a deep, natural sweetness.
Figs — potassium, calcium, and fiber.
Pomegranate — punicalagins and vitamin C.
Avocado — monounsaturated fats, potassium, and fiber.
Goat cheese — calcium, protein, and mostly A2-type casein.
Quinoa-seed brittle — complete protein from the quinoa (technically a seed, with all nine essential amino acids), plus zinc, magnesium, and vitamin E from the seeds and nuts.
Pistachios (option) — vitamin B6, potassium, and lutein.
For your cycle: The roasted roots' steady carbohydrates and the seeds' zinc and magnesium make this especially grounding in the luteal phase, and the Brussels sprouts support estrogen metabolism.
Sourcing
Squash, carrots, beets, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, shallots, greens, radishes, and green onions — organic, from a farmers' market in fall
Quinoa — organic and sprouted, like TruRoots
Pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds, and pecans or walnuts — organic and raw, kept in the fridge
Dried figs and fig preserves — organic, unsulfured figs; fig preserves with no refined sugar
Pomegranates and avocados — organic (avocados grow in warm climates, so they're shipped in to northern regions)
Goat cheese — fresh chèvre from Cypress Grove or a local dairy near you
Pistachios (option) — organic, California or Sicilian
Greek yogurt and milk (option) — organic, grass-fed, and full-fat
Aged balsamic vinegar — Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP, or aged Tradizionale DOP, made from just grape must
Dijon mustard — organic, with no preservatives or sugar; Delouis Fils or Maison Orphée
Raw honey — organic, local, and unfiltered
Grass-fed butter and coconut oil — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows; organic, virgin coconut oil
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall