Roast Vegetable Salad with Quinoa & Feta Recipe

This Roast Vegetable Salad with Quinoa & Feta recipe showcases the wonderfully colourful palette of September’s vegetables, with the taste of both summer and autumn during this time of seasonal transition.

20 Mins 60 Mins Easy Serves 4

Image: Nicola Wilkinson

Ingredients

1 block of light feta cheese*
1 Aubergine cut to 1 inch thick rounds and then cut in half
2 Beetroots (peeled and cut in to quarters)
1 courgette cut in 1 inch thick rounds
About 10 chestnut mushrooms cut in half
2 Long Red Peppers cut in thick strips
About 10 Sweet baby carrots
A few handfuls of yellow and red cherry tomatoes on their vines
1 handful of lemon thyme leaves
1 handful of rosemary leaves
1 cup of quinoa (I used red and white)
2 cups of water (to cook the quinoa)
Extra virgin olive oil
Enough Rocket, spinach and watercress leaves to create a salad bed on 4 plates
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* Waitrose do a delicious light Greek feta cheese which is low in saturated fat, calories and sugar, but high in protein

Method

Add the quinoa and water to a large pan, bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 mins until the water is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and stir through with a fork when cool.
Stir through with the pesto (adding a trickle of water to loosen it up if necessary).
Preheat two heavy baking sheets in an oven at temperature 180 degrees celsius.
Cut your vegetables and place them all in a large bowl (put the cherry tomatoes and pepper on a separate plate).
Sprinkle the rosemary and lemon thyme leaves over all of the vegetables and drizzle olive oil over all of them.
Use your hands to combine – making sure that all of the vegetables are coated with the oil and herbs.
Put all of the vegetables except for the cherry tomatoes and peppers on to the baking trays and roast for about 40 minutes turning halfway through.
Add the tomatoes and peppers for the last 25 minutes.

To serve

Place a handful of the salad leaves on each plate
Scatter the pesto quinoa on top of the salad leaves.
Add the vegetables and feta on top.
Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe notes by Nicola Wilkinson

September sees the UK burst with beautiful fruits and vegetables. I wanted to create a recipe that showcases the wonderfully colourful palette of this month’s vegetables and which has the taste of both summer and autumn during this time of seasonal transition. I think the warmth of the roasted veg is autumn in feeling, whilst the freshness of the feta cheese and lemon thyme are a lovely nod to the outgoing summer. Enjoy.

To explore September’s seasonal bounty try using the following this month: Tomatoes, courgettes, beetroot, peppers, aubergine, carrots, kale, wild mushrooms, lettuce and salad leaves, artichoke, butternut squash, chillies, pak choi, radishes, watercress, rocket, fennel, kohlrabi, leeks, cauliflower, runner beans, peas, sweetcorn, apples, blackberries, cherries, damsons, redcurrants, blackberries, pears, plums, raspberries, and many more!