Warm Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Hazelnuts, Chèvre and Aged Balsamic

This is a beautiful presentation for a light lunch or as the first course to a cozy dinner. So pretty, so healthy! Use any of the myriad of beautiful root vegetables you love.

Ingredients

• 3 organic Dungeness (or other) sweet carrots
• 2 parsnips, peeled
• 1 turnip, peeled
• 1 red beet, peeled
• 1 medium yam, peeled
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• Salad greens
• 4 to 6 ounces chèvre or feta cheese
• Balsamic vinegar or your favorite vinaigrette

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Coarsely cut all the vegetables into 3/4-inch squares and toss them in the olive oil. Generously season with salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. Add the hazelnuts to the vegetable mixture and continue roasting for 5 minutes longer or until the yams are fork tender and the mixture is caramelized around the edges.

Divide the greens up between 4 to 6 salad plates. Place a mound of chèvre or feta in the center of each plate and scatter the vegetables and hazelnuts around. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or your favorite vinaigrette.

Serve with great crusty bread and olive oil for dipping!

Recipe by Lynne Vea, PCC Chef

Source: PCC Fresh, January 2009

ABOUT OUR CHEF: Lynne Vea

Lynne Vea is a graduate of the Executive Chef Program at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris and has been cooking with PCC Natural Markets since 2001. Featured on King-5’s "Gardening with Ciscoe," she demonstrates easy and delicious recipes using seasonal ingredients.

Lynne is an admired PCC Cooks instructor, teaching a variety of popular PCC Cooks classes throughout the year.

She loves to collect old cookbooks, hunt for wild berries, and cook seven-course dinners where the guests are encouraged to dance and cavort between courses.

Find more recipes from Lynne.

More about: beets, hazelnuts, parsnips, turnips, yams