It could have been the torrential downpour in the city, or it could have been the fact that I had just returned from seeing the Paris Belle Epoque musical Gigi, but something in me decided that listening to jazz and roasting veggies was the best way to spend my Sunday evening.
With the windows open and the splattering of rain on my skylight, I popped a huge tray of carrots in the oven with the ultimate minimalist roasting ingredients: olive oil, salt, and pepper. I’m a big fan of fruity salads (strawberries with greens and smelly cheese, crisp green apples with goat cheese and spinach, etc.) but decided that the carrots, all roasted and candied in the oven, would play up the sweetness in this week’s salad.
With some leftover lentils from last week’s mujadara, I threw everything together over some fresh arugula and topped it off with feta. Having originally endeavored to buy fresh mint at the store (and finding none at three consecutive grocery stores) I landed on fresh chives and was pleasantly surprised by the slight onion flavor they infused into the dressing. Lately, my cravings have been all over the board, but this salad seems to satisfy them all, from salty to sweet to crunchy and filling. This recipe made enough for four lunches.
Ingredients:
6 large carrots, cleaned and with the stem removed
1 cup of feta crumbles
1 7 oz bag of arugula
2 cups of lentils, cooked (again, these are super easy)
Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper
Dressing: 2 tbsp of diced fresh chives, 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp of maple syrup, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of lemon juice (or any citrus), 1 tbsp of water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After you have removed the carrot stems and cleaned them thoroughly, lay them side by side on a large roasting pan. Drizzle over two tablespoons of olive oil, then use your hands to rotate the carrots until the oil is evenly distributed.
Top with sea salt and pepper, then roast for 30 minutes, or until the carrots have wrinkled and browned a bit.
Remove from oven. When cool, slice into smaller bite-size pieces.
To make the dressing, simply dice the chives then combine them with the rest of the ingredients in a jar or dish. Whisk until fully combined.
Make a bed of arugula and sprinkle on lentils, carrots, and feta, then top with dressing and toss.
