Receta Roasted Spring Vegetable Cobb Salad with Honey-Herb Vinaigrette
Roasted Spring Vegetable Cobb Salad with Honey-Herb Vinaigrette is a delicious, filling entree salad celebrating Spring’s most popular produce.
Hey, hey everybody, what’s happening? I hope you had a fabulous weekend and great start to your week. I’ve just returned from a girl’s trip to Las Vegas!
A few of my favorite ladies and I convened from around the country for a weekend filled with sunshine, food, fun, and Britney Spears. Oh yes. The four of us are die-hard Britney fans from way back in the day – Britney’s first concert was the first concert I ever went to – and as soon as we heard she was setting up shop for two years in Planet Hollywood for her Pieces of Me show, we started researching tickets and a way to make it happen. I love it when a plan comes together.
Although it was so very cool seeing my home girl “live” on stage, home girl is also, shall we say, tired. I guess having two kids and a show in Vegas will do that to you. Was it the production I was hoping for? Mmmm, not really. Was it still an awesome night rocking out to all my favorite Britney songs with my best girls? Heck yes! (Sorry, having a Miley moment here!)
Although Brit-Brit’s game wasn’t on point, the food scene in Vegas totally was. My favorite meal of the trip was at Mon Ami Gabi, a French bistro in the Paris Hotel and Casino overlooking the Bellagio hotel and fountain. I’ve been wanting to eat at the restaurant the past two times I’ve been in Vegas but it never worked out for whatever reason. SO glad we were finally able to make it happen – the food and drinks were spectacular and we felt like we were on a bustling Parisian patio (minus the GIRLS sign – HA!)
Mon Ami Gabi has a whole gluten-free menu, which I was ecstatic about, and my entree came with gluten-free bread and olives. Love when you get food before your food.
I thought the bread was housemade but it was actually toasted Udi’s, which I haven’t loved in restaurants and at home in the past. It was perrrrfect at MAG though. Totally could have passed for the real thing.The waiter told us everyone says that. Weird!
As good as the starter was, my entree was mouthwatering. Perfectly seasoned sauteed salmon on a bed of dried cranberry-studded wild rice and quinoa surrounded by an orange butter sauce. I could have licked the plate clean. Who knows, maybe I did… Must recreate ASAP!
One of my friend’s Mom’s girlfriend lives out in Vegas so she met us for lunch and we just had a wonderful time. Good, nay, great food, fun, and friends. What more can you ask for?
By the way, honorable food mention goes to this seared Ahi tuna from Lavo inside the Venetian, where we stayed. OMG.
No trip to Vegas would be complete without a Bellagio fountain shot, so here you go. Enjoy! ;)
Now, although I was whooping it up in Vegas this past weekend I was sad to have missed the opening of the downtown farmer’s market here in town. It’s one of the biggest in the country and the unofficial kickoff to the summer season in my opinion.
That being said, there’s not a whole lot to choose from in terms of produce right now, especially after the insanely cold spring we’ve had, but I wanted to challenge myself to create a recipe using what is available, and this gorgeous Roasted Spring Vegetable Cobb Salad with Honey-Herb Vinaigrette is what I came up with!
Fresh spring veggies like beets, asparagus, and radishes are simply seasoned then roasted to really bring out their delicious flavors, then paired with classic cobb salad ingredients like crumbled bacon, sliced hard boiled eggs, and cheese. Honey chevre to be exact, which nearly made my head explode it was so good.
If you’re like me and see these veggies at the Farmer’s Market every week in the spring and aren’t exactly sure what they heck you’re supposed to do with ‘em, this salad is for you. It’s so delicious and hearty, and made me feel really good about actually being able to enjoy those sometimes hard to use foods. Give it a try!
Start by making a couple hard-boiled eggs - a cobb salad staple. This salad recipe serves two so technically you’ll only need 2 hard-boiled eggs but I always make extra to keep around for breakfast and snacks. My current favorite way to enjoy them is sliced in half then topped with an avocado slice, salt, and pepper. Heavenly!
Add the eggs to a pot then cover the tops by 1″ with cool water. Bring the water to a boil then place a lid on top, remove from the heat, and then let the eggs steam for exactly 12 minutes. Remove the eggs to a bowl filled with ice water then let them chill out (literally – ha!) until they’re cool enough to handle.
Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, lightly smash each one down on a cutting board then roll it with a little bit of force to crack the egg all the way around. Then, peel!
Tip: always peel hard-boiled eggs when they’re freshly cooked. If you refrigerate with the shell on then try to remove it later it’s nearly impossible to peel.
Meanwhile, get the bacon cookin’. Bacooooon! Line a baking sheet with foil then place a cooling rack on top and spray with nonstick spray. You’ll only need 3 slices of bacon for this recipe, but c’mon, when’s the last time you only made the amount of bacon a recipe calls for?
Place the baking sheet into a COLD oven THEN set it to preheat to 400 degrees. The bacon will cook low and slow while the oven heats up resulting in crispy, perfectly cooked bacon. My mouth is watering at the memory! Like I said, your bacon will cook as the oven preheats but if it’s not as crisp as you’d like it when the oven is done preheating, just let it stay in there and bake for a few minutes longer.
Time for those spring veggies. Again, I used beautiful golden beets, asparagus, and radishes, but use whatever you have available in YOUR area. I can almost guarantee that whatever it is, it’ll roast fabulously.
Start with the golden beet. You’ll need 1 large beet or 2 small ones, and you can absolutely use a red one if that’s all you can find. Just know that your fingers may be stained a little pink after handling them. Slice off the top and bottom then peel and cut into large pieces. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper (there’s no magical amount, just use what feels right,) then pop into the preheated oven on a baking sheet to roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the tops and bottoms off 1 bunch radishes then cut each one in half or into quarters if they’re large. Toss with EVOO, salt, and pepper, and then add to the baking sheet with the beets and roast for 10 minutes. You will LOVE roasted radishes. I can’t believe I waited 30 years to try ‘em!
Finally, trim 1/4lb asparagus then chop into 2″ sections and, you guessed it, season with EVOO, salt and pepper. Add them to the sheet pan with the roasted beets and radishes then roast for 5 more minutes.
So, to recap, the beets will have roasted for 30 minutes total, the radishes for 15 minutes, and asparagus for 5. Got it? Good!
While the veggies are roasting, make that Honey-Herb Vinaigrette which is very Farmer’s Market friendly as there’s always a ton of local honey and herbs at the market in the spring time. In a jar or bowl add 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 Tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh herbs of your choice,) salt, and pepper then shake or whisk to combine.
My original intent for this vinaigrette was to use fresh herbs but of course my fresh thyme went missing in the black hole that is my fridge when I went to find it. Good lesson though – when swapping dried herbs for fresh, use 1/3 of the amount. I would have used 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme in this recipe, but used 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme instead. Still delectable!
Line the roasted spring vegetables, sliced hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, and 1oz honey goat cheese (seriously you must find and try honey chevre!) on a big bed of fresh spring greens. I used arugula which I always think is too fancy for me but then remember it’s frisee that’s just a bit too…much… Arugula though? Fabulous! Drizzle the Honey-Herb Vinaigrette on top then dig in!
Roasted Spring Vegetable Cobb Salad with Honey-Herb Vinaigrette
Serves 2 (easily scalable for more or less)
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 3 slices bacon
- 2 small or 1 large red or golden beet, trimmed on both ends, peeled, and then chopped large
- 1 bunch radishes, trimmed on both ends then halved or quartered if large
- 1/4lb asparagus, trimmed then chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2oz honey goat cheese, crumbled
- 5oz arugula, baby kale, baby spinach, or romaine (or any spring lettuce you like!)
- For the Honey-Herb Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme)
- salt and pepper
Directions:
Place eggs in a saucepan then cover with cold water 1″ above the tops. Bring to a boil, place a lid on top, then remove pan from heat and let sit for 12 minutes. Drain then plunge eggs into ice water or run under cold water for a few minutes. Peel eggs when cool enough to handle then slice. (Can be done ahead of time. Cook then peel eggs and store in the refrigerator, and then slice before serving.)
Line a baking sheet with foil then place a cooling rack on top and spray with nonstick spray. Line bacon on top of cooling rack then place inside a cold oven. Turn oven to preheat to 400 degrees. Bacon will cook as oven heats up. If bacon’s not crispy enough after the oven is finished preheating, let it bake for a few more minutes. Crumble when cooled.
Toss chopped beets with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper then roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove sheet pan then flip beets.
Toss chopped radishes with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl then add to baking sheet with beets. Roast for 10 more minutes. Remove sheet pan then flip radishes.
Toss chopped asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl then add to baking sheet with beets and radishes. Roast for 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, combine ingredients for Honey-Herb Vinaigrette in a jar with a tight-fitting lid or bowl then shake or whisk to combine.
Divide lettuce between two plates then make rows of roasted vegetables, sliced hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette then serve.
Usually after photographing food I can wait to get back into the kitchen to devour it, but not this salad. I ate the entire thing right over my photography background. (#worthit) Enjoy this absolutely yummy, roasted taste of spring!