Root Vegetable Salad with Maple Cumin Vinaigrette is one of my favorite salads right now. The vinaigrette is sweet and has a little kick from the red pepper flakes. My favorite part is how the cumin adds a little bit of an unexpected flavor. Something you wouldn't think would pair so nicely with maple syrup. The sweet and spicy vinaigrette pairs perfectly with hearty vegetables and dark leafy greens.
The inspiration behind this recipe
We had just returned from a hike and I was in that in-between where I was too cold in the shade and too hot in the sun. My husband and nephew sat down to watch the Green Bay Packers while our niece changed her clothes. I grabbed a cookbook and sat on a bench that was on their tiny porch. Basking in the sun. Surrounded by the gorgeous Telluride Mountains and getting ready to go play corn hole with the neighbor.
I'll always remember stumbling across that cookbook and having the inspiration to make this vinaigrette. The vinaigrette recipe is from Sweet Nature but I adapted it to be a little less spicy. The cookbook author, Beth Dooley recommends using it as a dipping sauce for fried sweet potatoes. My favorite way is to pour it over a big leafy salad with beets, carrots and some seeds. YUM!
How to make Root Vegetable salad with maple cumin vinaigrette
- The first step in making this recipe is prepping all the vegetables. Red or golden beets and carrots are peeled, sliced and then roasted until soft. Arugula, micro greens, roasted veggies, roasted pumpkin seeds and pistachios are placed in a bowl and set aside.
- The final step is making the maple cumin vinaigrette. All of the salad dressing ingredients are placed in a Mason jar and mixed until well combined. Pour over the salad and toss before serving.
Looking for more easy salad and salad dressing recipes? Make sure to check out this Winter Rainbow Salad with Sweet Tahini Dressing and this recipe for a simple green salad with Honey-Basil Vinaigrette.
Root Vegetable Salad with Maple-Cumin Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Maple Cumin Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (start with ½ and then adjust)
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Root Vegetable Salad
- 2-3 small beets, golden or red
- 1 medium carrot
- 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, roasted and salted
- 3 large handfuls arugula
- 1 large handful microgreens
Instructions
Maple Cumin Vinaigrette
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized Mason jar and shake, shake, shake! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Root Vegetable Salad
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the beets and then cut into very thin slices (use a mandolin if possible). Lay the beet slices on a baking tray, drizzle with some oil and roast in the oven until cooked through. Once cooked, remove from the baking tray and set aside to cool.
- Peel the skin off the carrot and then using the same peeler, peel strips until you have peeled the whole carrot. Place on the baking tray the beets were just on, drizzle with some oil and place in the oven to roast for about ten minutes. The carrots do not need to brown, just soften slightly. Once roasted, remove from the oven and cool.
- Place the arugula, microgreens, roasted beets and carrots in a salad bowl and top with roasted pumpkin seeds and chopped pistachios, Drizzle the maple cumin vinagrette on top and toss right before serving. Enjoy!
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