Roasted Vegetable and Rice Salad is a great meatless Monday meal or just a way to get rid of your leftover veggies and herbs. It’s also great served as a side dish, hot or cold.
I have been really trying to incorporate more vegetables and less meat in my life. I think if you look at the average person’s diet, we consume way too much meat and processed foods. I’ll be the first to admit that at times, I eat like an absolute garbage monster. So, I’m trying to establish some balance. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still going to take down a steak and ribs on occasion, but also a few more salads with fresh healthy ingredients.
I feel like you can’t go wrong with this recipe with whatever vegetables you choose. I normally make it with faro or barley. I didn’t have any on hand so I went with white rice. It worked fine. I cooked a cup of rice ahead of time. It had time to hang out and cool off for a little. I roasted a chopped bell pepper, chopped onion and chopped zucchini that was tossed in a little olive oil, balsamic, cracked black pepper and garlic powder at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. I tossed it halfway through and sprinkled a little salt. At the last 10 minutes, I added some corn to the baking sheet to warm up. Eggplant, sweet potato or red onion would be good too. You can really add whatever you like, just look up the proper roasting time. Also don’t crowd the pan or the veggies will steam and not roast.
I chopped together fresh basil, cilantro and parsley, about one cup all together. I do suggest going a little lighter on the basil because it’s very strong. I added about two cups of arugula, but you can use baby spinach as well. I used cotija cheese because I had some, you can totally use feta or queso fresco. A crumbly cheese works best. Adding some fresh diced tomatoes would be a great addition too.
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or ½ a tsp. of garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- Squeeze of lemon
I let the veggies cool just a little and then add everything together in a large bowl and mix. Let it sit for a few more minutes to come together and serve.