These oven roasted veggies (covered in Tex Mex flare) are so good you don’t even need salad dressing.
Except, you do. You need this salad dressing.. I took a combination of two of my favorite vinaigrettes (basil & cilantro), added some mint and chive from my herb garden, and drown my salad in herby goodness.
But.. “salad’s aren’t healthy when you cover them in dressing!!” Yeah, well, sue me.
(I recommend making this vinaigrette in advance and letting it set in the fridge to really marinate in it’s flavor for a couple of hours, at least.
I freaking love arugula because it has an earthy, peppery taste and is just a little better than regular romaine. I added baby arugula to spring mix. You can use whatever kind of salad your family will eat without throwing a fit, though.
Fresh herbs play so nicely with arugula too. I like to pour some of the vinaigrette in the lettuce about 20 minutes before we eat to give it a wilted effect.
*Sighs, asks self: why did I not go to culinary school?*
The roasted vegetables are the shining star of this dish. You can use whatever veggies you fancy, but here is what I used: one whole red onion, a half to 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, and a hand full of shishito peppers. (According to Google, shishito peppers are a bit hotter than bell peppers, but have less heat than a jalapeño. All I know is that Bobby Flay uses them a lot so that means I should use them).
For the Southwest Tex-Mex kick, I seasoned my veggies with cumin, THIS ancho Chile powder (shoutout Kerri), garlic powder, and salt. I should have measured them for blog purposes, but I hate measuring spices. Coat the veggies in a fine layer of each seasoning, add a pinch of salt, drizzle with olive oil and throw it in your 415 degree, pre-heated oven.
Roasting veggies isn’t SUPER fast, but roasting them brings out their natural sweetness and it’s just such a good way to prepare any kind of veggie. A lot less work too. Keep an eye on them and turn after about 15 minutes, mine cooked for 28 minutes total.
We kind of cheated with this salad. Jacob picked up some crispy chicken strips from our grocery store deli on his way home from work. Honestly, sometimes crispy chicken is just better. There are a lot of soft textures with the lettuce and roasted veggies, so adding crispy chicken can take the place of grilled chicken and croutons. See, I CAN compromise.
I added cubed Colby Jack cheese to the top of my salad and it was done! Absolutely packed full of flavor, this roasted veggie Southwest salad checks all the boxes on what makes up a kick-ass chicken salad!
Roasted Veggies:
1 Red onion, very coarsely chopped
1 Red bell pepper, very coarsely chopped
1 C. Cherry tomatoes
1/2 C. Shishito Peppers
1/2 T. Cumin
1/2 T. Ancho Chile Powder
1/2 T. Garlic powder
1/2 C. Olive oil
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 415.
2. Coarsely chop all of your veggies (not the Shishito’s) to an even thickness.
3. Roast veggies for 25-30 minutes until they start browning on the edges. Rotate halfway through.
Cilantro Herb Vinaigrette
1 C. Fresh cilantro
3/4 C. Fresh basil
1-2 T. Fresh mint
1-2 T. Fresh chives
1 Shallot
1 Clove garlic
1/2 C. Olive oil
2 T. Red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Sea salt or Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. add all dry ingredients to a food processor and chop thoroughly
2. Add in the red wine vinegar and mix
3. Lastly, pour in your olive oil slowly through the top of your food processor or add it in two batches to your blender.
For the Salad:
1-2 C. Baby Arugula
3 C. Spring Mix
Roasted Veggies
Sliced crispy chicken strips
Cubbed Colby Jack cheese (optional)
Combine:
1. Add your dressing to your salad mix before your veggies come out of the oven.
2. Half of your plate should be filled with lettuce, a quarter (or more) with roasted veggies, and a sliced crispy chicken strip on top. Add cheese if you wish!
Try these recipes!
Garlic Tomato Confit (so good in salads/dips/sandwiches)
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