Winter Salad

5 from 1 vote

This winter, embrace winter vegetables in season with this vegan winter salad. In a season often devoted to comfort foods and hot soups, remember beautiful winter vegetables in their raw and roasted form. Don't forget about the importance of greens, beans, and fruit in the winter months.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 278kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Salad Base

1 bunch kale stems removed and chopped finely
2 bunches romaine lettuce chopped

Other ingredients

1 cup red cabbage
1 watermelon radish or any radish of choice, sliced and cut intoquarters
½ cup pickled red onions or raw red onion
6 baby bell peppers I used multiple colors, cut into thin slices
10 grape Tomatoes cut in half ( I used a variety of colors)
15 ounces chickpeas drained (1 can)
1 cup pomegranate seeds
4 medjool dates
½ cup dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic or substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup water

Roasted Vegetables

1 head cauliflower cut into florets
4 small yellow beets

Instructions

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean and remove the greens from the beets; save the greens for another use.
Wrap the beets in a foil packet.
Place cauliflower florets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
Place the foil pack of beets on the same sheet pan as the cauliflower.
Roast for 30 minutes.
Note I used small beets. Large beets typically take 1 hour to roast. If beets are large, cut them into smaller segments to cook in 30 minutes, or cook longer if roasting large beets whole.
Remove cauliflower and beets from the oven and allow to cool.
Remove the skin from the beets before cutting them into bite-sized pieces.

Pickled Onions

Prepare the
pickled onions as directed or cut raw onion with the other raw vegetables.

Salad Base

Chop kale and Romaine and place on a large platter or in individual bowls.
Then add all the other ingredients, evenly distributing them across the base greens of the salad.

Apple Cider Dressing

Combine all the ingredients in a blend and blend until smooth.
Dress salad ahead of time to soften the kale or dress individually (whatever your preference)

Notes

When eating kale, I prefer to chop it finely. It helps with chewing as well as digestion.

The best way to cut and open a pomegranate is to cut it in half through the equator, then hold it over a bowl of water and cut side down. With a wooden spoon, smack the skin assertively and repeatedly and watch the seeds hail down.

Make the dressing first and refrigerate it, so it's nice and cold when the salad is ready.

To prevent the cold ingredients from wilting, roast the cauliflower and allow it to cool slightly before adding it to the salad.

Consider adding some roasted nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or pecans.

If you don't like the apple cider vinegar dressing, this winter salad recipe is excellent with avocado ranch dressing, creamy balsamic dressing, or oil-free Italian dressing.

Nutrition