Almost Fall Salad

The other day, I swear, that cool fall chill was in the air. 

Which made me immediately want to put on a sweater, dig out my knitting needles, and start a kettle of water for tea. 

And then the afternoon rolled around, and it was over 85 degrees. Blech. So much for an early fall. 

But I had already done my grocery shopping and was staring at a pile of root vegetables! Which are lovely in, oh say, November. When you want starch and heft in your meals to carry you through the chilly fall evenings.

Thank goodness we had leftover salad mix.

Slice up those veggies: carrots, beets (golden and regular), sweet potatoes, onions, assorted squashes. Toss them in olive oil and sprinkle with fresh thyme and salt. 

Roast for 45 minutes or an hour (they only get better the longer they roast). 

 Toss on top of salad mix. Add a few slices of plum and a smattering of blue cheese (or feta, or goat cheese - whatever floats your boat). A spot of balsamic dressing. A squeeze of lemon.

Delicious! Now, if only the weather would cooperate. I've got 3 more beets to eat!

Almost Fall Salad

Serves 3-4

1 golden beet

1 beet

1-2 carrots

1 small sweet potato

1/2 yellow onion

3-4 assorted baby squashes (zucchini, patty-pan)

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

2 plums, sliced

blue cheese

Assorted Lettuces salad mix

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop up the beets, carrots, sweet potato, and onions into bite-sized pieces. Toss in olive oil and thyme. Spread out on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes. Slice up the squashes in small bite sized pieces and add to roasting pan, tossing around the other vegetables too. Return to the oven for another 30-45 minutes.

Lay out your lettuce on the plate. Divide your roasted veg among the plates. Top with slices of plum and crumbles of blue cheese. A balsamic vinaigrette would dress the salad well, or a gentle squeeze of lemon juice (we just inhaled ours sans dressing...)