Born simply because we love purple and green veggies together and knew that adding a lemony vinaigrette to pour over the top would just be amazing! Flash roasting the veggies gives them a nice bite without overcooking them til their soggy and also helps them retain their beautiful colors. As a note, don’t drizzle the lemony elixir onto the veggies until right before you’re ready to serve…as soon as you pour and toss, the color of the purple cauliflower will start to create a very pink hue. It’s quite vivid and a beautiful color of pink, but the longer it sits…well you get the idea!
Roasting in ghee paired with Redmond Real Salt, give the veggies the perfect “caramel-y” taste without over roasting them. Believe me, veggies roasted this way are good even without the vinaigrette, so you’ll be sure to want to sample them before the lemony drizzle. It’s a great salad for a pop of color on the table and also a pop of amazing flavor in your mouths! Enjoy!!
roasted cauliflower & asparagus salad
the most colorful & perfect veggie side dish you can make ahead of time
Credit: backporchpaleo.com
Ingredients
- 1 head purple cauliflower (or color of choice)
- 1 lb asparagus, thin & firm
- 2-3 tbl ghee
- 1½ tsp Redmond Real Salt, seperated
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon (approx. ¼ cup)
- 1 tsp maple sugar (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Chosen Foods avocado oil
- chives, chopped finely for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 415°.
- Prepare cauliflower by separating into florets and then cutting/dividing into smaller pieces. See pictures below for a visual. Just keep in mind, you’ll want them all about the same size and small enough that they will flash roast and have a tender bite to them. Toss onto baking sheet.
- Prepare asparagus but cutting off woody ends and then slicing them into about 1½” pieces and toss onto the baking sheet with the cauliflower.
- Spoon the ghee over the veggies, sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt and toss together gently with your hands.
- Place in oven and bake for around 10-12 minutes. Check them at 10 minutes, you just want them to have a nice sheen to them and a little bit tender. You’re not cooking them completely soft. Also, the longer you cook them the more the color will fade!
- Once veggies are done, remove from oven, spoon them onto a large plate and let come to room temperature.
- To make the vinaigrette, zest the lemon and set ½ aside. Add the remaining zest and the juice the lemon into a small mason jar. Add remaining ½ tsp of salt, maple sugar, apple cider vinegar, pepper and avocado oil to the jar. Put the lid on and shake until combined.
- When ready to serve, place veggies into the container you’ll be serving from. Give vinaigrette a final good shake and drizzle over veggies, toss very gently and sprinkle with reserved lemon zest and chives (if using).
