Roasted Carrot, Lemon and Leek Salad
A warm salad with roasted vegetables tossed in a lemon, honey and thyme dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks cut in half lengthwise, cleaned, then sliced crosswise
- 5 medium carrots peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 meyer lemons or 1 regular lemon, zest of 1 (~1 tsp), then halved and seeds removed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped
- 2 large cloves garlic unpeeled
- 4 tbsp + 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 142 grams spinach and arugula mix
- 60 grams queso fresco cheese we used Five Brothers, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. On a baking sheet, toss together the leeks, carrots, and unpeeled garlic cloves with 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp vinegar, honey, lemon zest, some salt and pepper, and the thyme leaves. Tuck in the lemon halves, and roast in the oven for 40 minutes, until the carrots are fork tender, but still have some crunch, and the leeks are caramelized.
- Using a pair of tongs, squeeze the roasted lemon halves over the vegetable mixtures, then toss together, discarding the lemon halves. Remove the garlic cloves from the pan, squeeze them from the peels and mash with 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp vinegar and some salt and pepper. Stir back into the carrot leek mixture. In a large bowl, toss the arugula and spinach mix with the roasted vegetables and all the dressing from the pan. Top with the crumbled queso fresco and serve warm.