FOXFORD Cafe's Roasted Vegetable Salad

We are all on a quest to improve our diets and live healthier, but it can be challenging to make this happen when living busy lives. We know we need to eat more vegetables but often struggle for ideas to incorporate them throughout the day. Many add spinach to smoothies in the morning for an easy win or add an extra vegetable to their dinner in the evenings but often struggle at lunch when time is pressed and convenience often wins. At the FOXFORD cafe, we pride ourselves on our range of fresh salads, featuring a wide range of vegetables and flavours. Our lunches always incorporate salads, as a side or the main event.

With some preparation, lunch is a great opportunity to add in a couple extra vegetables throughout your day within your home-made lunches. We understand people are time poor, but making the most of your time and preparing extra when making your dinner the evening before will really benefit you.

The next time you are preparing your dinner, try and add some additional vegetables to your prepping station to roast. Root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips roast beautifully, their natural sugars caramelising. They can be enjoyed hot or cold and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days once cooled adequately in advance.  At the FOXFORD Cafe, we serve roast vegetables with couscous, rice or mixed through leads and goats cheese for a tasty, nutritious lunch.

If you struggle to choose salad for your lunch, try incorporating it bit by bit. Bringing a small portion as a side to your main sandwich or dish will still help you in adding more vegetables to your diet. Remember, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Any additional vegetable you eat is benefitting you. Once you start exploring with different combinations, you may well find you reach for salad first.

Below is a recipe that is both easy to prepare and delicious, ensuring you will be satisfied after your lunch and ready for the rest of your day. Enjoy it – and be sure to tag us on social if you recreate it at home.

FOXFORD CAFE'S ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

Garlic Roast Parsnip, Beetroot, and Carrot Salad with Spinach and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Ingredients:

• 3 whole beetroot
• 1 parsnip
• 2 carrots
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 250ml olive oil
• 100g baby spinach
• Sea salt
• Toasted pumpkin seeds
• A drizzle of honey(optional)
  
  Method:
  

1. Wash your vegetables before prepping. Using a sharp knife top and tail the parsnip, beetroot and carrots. Peel them using a peeler.
2. Cut the beetroot into wedges and chop the carrot and parsnips into large 1.5-inch chunks.
3. Preheat your oven to 170°c.
4. You will need three trays or casserole dishes; toss the vegetables in the olive oil.
5. Finely grate or puree the garlic and toss over the veg; season all three trays with the sea salt.
6. Place in the oven. The parsnip will take 20 minutes approximately, carrots and beetroot will take approximately 30 minutes, depending on your oven.
7.  Wash and pat the baby spinach dry.
8.  Place the seeds on a tray in the oven and allow them to take a little colour, this should only take 5-7 mins. Allow them to cool. Toasted seeds can be stored in a glass Kilner jar and used to add to a salad at any time.
9.  Layer onto a platter and serve, warm or at room temperature. Cool and store in the fridge if your adding it to your lunches.