This salad is one of the dishes I make the most at home and you can serve it hot or cold. It is great just on its own for lunch or served hot with roast meat,  if you don’t want the fat associated with roasting the vegetables in with the joint.

Otherwise, serve it warm on a summers day with grilled chicken, tossed with Israeli couscous, or simply toss it through salad greens.

You will need:

About 4 cups of mixed vegetables of your choice, adding what you love from this list:

• sweet potato, bell pepper, egg plant, shallots, onions, parsnip, earth gems, yams, pumpkin, carrots,  baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini.
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tsp powered vegetable bullion, we like Rapunzel Organic Bouillon
• sprinkle of Tuscan style herbs
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Himalayan Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Method:

Roughly chop all vegetables into large bite size pieces leaving garlic cloves whole. Set aside the zucchini, baby tomatoes and egg plant to add later.

Line a roasting dish with non stick cooking paper or use a heavy, non stick roasting dish. Put all vegetables, apart from the egg plant, tomatoes and zucchini in the baking dish, sprinkle over vegetable bullion, herbs, garlic and water.

Bake in a moderately hot oven for 20–30 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour over oil and balsamic vinegar adding the soft vegetables at this stage—the zucchini, tomatoes and egg plant. Sprinkle over the sugar. Give the pan a good shake or stir to coat the vegetables with the oil and vinegar. Bake again until tender, about 20–30 minutes more.

Serve in a large salad bowl sprinkled with fresh parsley and a drizzled of dijonnaise. Otherwise, toss through salad greens or couscous and enjoy.

5 Cows Tip:

• To take it up a notch, add toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta before serving for a great meal, serving it with a fresh green salad.
• If you are using orange sweet potato,  add it 15 minutes into the cooking time as it takes less time to cook than other potatoes.