Roasted Vegetable, Arugula and Avocado Salad with Mustard Herb Vinaigrette Dressing

(As you can tell from the picture, I couldn't find the white cheddar when I was shopping 

so I decided to just use regular cheddar.)

I hated salads when I was growing up. Mind you, I lived in a household where a meal was prepared, set in front of you, and then you were expected to eat it. No specialized diets in the Beckett household - we were the true embodiment of that catchy little kitchen plaque stating, "You have two choices for dinner - take it or leave it." We didn't have fancy, schmanzy salads with upscale lettuce and exotic veggies included but when that mixed salad appeared on the dinner table the expectation was that you'd eat it without a fuss.

I think the thing that really turned me off to the idea of a salad was actually the dressing. In our household you got one kind and it was already slathered on the lettuce and tomato before the bowl ever left the kitchen. And by "slathered" I mean doled out in such large quantities that you could barely see lettuce poking under a sea of oddly tinted slime laughably called "french" on the bottle. I doubt folks in France were downing that horrible mixture on their salads.

There might have been a dinner one time when I actually managed to grab my plate, thrust it out an open window in the dining room, and heave one of our infamous salads right out onto the front yard before anyone was the wiser.

Obviously I've evolved since my salad chucking days because I now love lots of variations of greens, veggies, fruits, and whatever else can be creatively placed into a bowl and labeled salad. The one I made today was absolutely wonderful. One of those kinds of meals where you're just thankful you've got enough left for another sitting because now you can spend the whole day looking forward to dinner and another chance to eat more of what you start craving the minute you've finished your lunch portion.

This was actually supposed to be a salad I'd make for the Stoops late Christmas celebration on Saturday. However, by the time everyone ate all the appetizers I'd prepared and then pizza came for an early dinner, it just seemed ridiculous to go to the trouble of making a salad that everyone was clearly too stuffed to care much about. So, I laid out a green salad instead (my mom would've been proud!) and  then didn't have to feel so put out when very few people bothered to take a helping amidst the pizza, spinach dip, queso blanco with chips, cheese cubes with pretzel sticks, varied fruit and fruit dip and whatever else I'm forgetting right now.

I'll admit there was a period of worry about how today's salad would end up tasting. As I was putting it together, I began absent-mindedly chewing on some of the arugula, thereby making the surprising discovery that, by itself, arugula is bitter and not very good tasting. With that in mind, when I prepared the dressing I decided it was a little too much on the sour side so I ended up adding some sugar. How much sugar? Don't ask me - I just put in enough so I could taste a hint of sweetness next to the tang of all the other ingredients. Really, this is all quite amazing to think about - the recipe itself had no specific amounts (though the website where it was featured had very clear pictures that I followed) and then, even in my adaptation, I didn't bother to measure. Look for me on Master Chef next season!

Roasted Vegetable, Arugula, and Avocado Salad
from whatsgabycooking.com

Ingredients

3 cups arugula
1 cup chopped butternut squash, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups cauliflower florets, broken into bite sized pieces
1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 avocados, skin removed and cut into wedges
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
handful of dried cranberries
handful chopped white cheddar cheese
Mustard Herb Vinaigrette ** Recipe below
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Arrange the arugula in a large salad bowl.
Place the chopped butternut squash, cauliflower and mushroom heads on a baking sheet in an even layer and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes until the vegetables are slightly golden brown and tender to touch.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before tossing them with the arugula.
Add the avocado, cherry tomatoes, cranberries and white cheddar cheese and toss to combine.
Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette on top and toss. Taste and add more vinaigrette or salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediately.

Mustard Herb Vinaigrette Dressing
Start with an empty jar with a lid. Add some freshly chopped garlic, a few chopped shallots, a dollop or two of whole grain Dijon mustard, some dried oregano, and dried parsley. Throw in some freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of flaky salt. Next pour in some red wine vinegar. Add a healthy pour of olive oil. Tightly put the lid back on the jar and shake, shake, shake! This dressing will store well in the refrigerator for about a week. Just let it come to room temp. before using. You can also use it on spinach salads.