Our Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe Uses Ghee for Flavor and Health
With bountiful summer days behind us, now is the time to enjoy the yields of cooler weather. When we adjust the foods we eat with the change of the seasons, we help our bodies adapt to the new external conditions. This in turn can benefit our immunity – so important during what’s known as “cold and flu season!” This roasted vegetable salad recipe uses some of our favorite cool-weather produce. It also uses all six tastes described by the Ayurvedic health system. When we enjoy all these tastes in a meal, we feel more satisfied and balanced as a result.
Taste / Ingredient
Sweet / Ghee, Butternut Squash, Carrot, Leek
Sour / Balsamic Vinegar, Feta Cheese
Pungent / Leek, Sage, Pepper, Parsley, Balsamic
Salty / Salt, Feta
Bitter / Turnip, Pumpkin Seeds, Parsley
Astringent / Turnip
Why Use Ghee?
We love to cook, and we turn time and again to delicious, healthful ghee as our versatile cooking fat of choice. To make our ghee, we start with butter made from the milk of happy, healthy New England cows. On the full moon, we simmer this butter until the clear golden butterfat separates from the white milk solids. Then we watch carefully for the moment when the milk solids begin to caramelize. Just the right amount of caramelization is what gives ghee its nutty, rich flavor and deep golden hue. We use this shelf-stable fat liberally in our cooking. With its high smoke point, it delivers the healthy fats of butter without the risk of burning. A lactose- and casein-free fat, it’s safe for most people who have trouble digesting dairy.
Order Ghee for Roasting Vegetables Here
Ghee Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe
Serves 2 as a Main Dish or 4 as a Side
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup ghee (visit our online store to purchase!)
- 1 small butternut squash (or 1/2 a large squash), peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1 turnips, chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 leek, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds and gently separated into individual rings
- Small handful fresh sage, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- Optional: fresh greens or cooked grains for serving
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Use this time to chop your vegetables. For the leek, once you’ve sliced them into 1/2-inch rounds, gently push the center of the leek to separate each round’s thin layers into individual rings.
- When the oven is hot, scoop ¼ cup of ghee onto a large rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven until melted.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven and add squash, turnip, carrots, leek, sage, salt and pepper to the baking sheet. Toss with your hands to coat the vegetables evenly with ghee.
- Roast the vegetables 30-40 minutes, until soft and golden, with caramelization around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Transfer roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Sprinkle with feta (if using), seeds, and fresh parsley. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, toss gently, and serve, either as is or over a bed of greens or cooked grains.
