Roasted Vegetable Salad

I've been craving roasted vegetables lately. To be honest, it's the easiest way for me to get my "five a day" while I've got these braces--but I am telling you that if you roast just about any vegetable, it will be delicious. Currently, my favorite combo consists of eggplant, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, and green beans. Sometimes I throw some red onions in there. I roast up a couple big pans early in the week and enjoy them for a few days (if they last that long). They are great hot or cold, and are absolutely fabulous if tossed with some greens, a simple vinaigrette, and some cheese for a light lunch or dinner. Slap a piece of chicken, steak, or fish next to it on your plate and your carnivorous husband (who also wants just about zero carbs these days...sigh) will be happy as a clam.

Malia's Roasted Vegetable Salad

Roast up your veggies first--I like:
-2 eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes
-2-3 bell peppers (not green!) cut into bite sized pieces
-1 lb or so of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half.
Toss the veggies together in a large bowl with a good 1/4 cup of avocado oil (my go-to for high heat cooking) or whatever oil you like, some minced garlic (I like about 3 cloves), and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Vegetables need seasonings, people. Line a couple baking sheets with foil or parchment and spread the veggies in a single layer. Roast at 400 degrees, stirring every  10-15 min until the veggies are soft and caramelized and just totally lovely. This will take awhile, and depend on the size of your veggies. Like 30-40 min. It's worth the wait, because you end up with this pile of pretty:

To make your salad, throw some baby greens of your choice in a bowl, drizzle with a good extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Toss it together and add more of what it needs until you are happy. Nothing is magical about this process. If it tastes good to you, it's right. Toss in your desired amount of roasted veggies (you can do this warm, as I like, or cold), a handful of feta (goat cheese or Parm would be good options, too), and more salt/pepper/balsamic/olive oil if needed. And just like that, you are done.