Fall Roasted Vegetable Salad with Lentils and Arugula

This is the quintessential fall recipe, at least in my opinion.  A celebration of some of my favorite fall vegetables that can be eaten as a main meal or paired with your favorite protein, such as roasted salmon.  This is a power packed salad full of vitamins and minerals and it is so yummy that I cannot wait to eat the leftovers the next day.  And it has become a frequently requested recipe by friends and family visiting for lunch or dinner.  Not only is this recipe really delicious, it is fast to put together, especially if you purchase pre-cut vegetables, (I like to save money and cut the veggies myself, and I can still put this together in less than 30 minutes, not including the roasting time for the veggies).  I hope you give it a try!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Fall Roasted Vegetables with Lentils and Arugula
recipes based on the version below
http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/thanksgiving-daphne-oz-roasted-autumn-vegetables-lentils
1 pkg of pre-cooked lentils (I get mine from trader Joe's, but you can always make your own - you'll need about 2-3 cups of cooked lentils)
3 T apple cider vinegar
4 T olive oil
1 T dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
1 pkg of baby arugula (8-9oz)
1 pound of brussel sprouts, cut in half or quartered, depending on size
 3-4 carrots, roughly chopped so that veggies are about the same size (about 2 cups)
1 butternut squash, cubed so that the cubes are about the same size as carrots and brussel sprouts (about 3 cups)
an additional 2-4 T of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste for roasting veggies

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a large cookie sheet (or two) with cooking spray or olive oil.  Cut up your veggies and toss them with a light drizzle of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.   Roast at 400 for 30-50 minutes or until tender and browned.  The cooking time will depend on the size you cut them.

In the meantime, mix together a dressing for your lentils.  Using a whisk, combine the olive oil, vinegar, and dijon mustard.  Add the lentils and stir with a large spoon until well combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  The pre-cooked lentils are already salted, but if you make your own then you may need to add more salt.   At this point, I like to add one or two handfuls of the arugula and combine with the dressed lentils. 

Once the veggies are done, it is time to assemble your salad.  If you are serving this dish to a crowd, you can use a large serving platter.  Layer the remaining arugula first, then the lentil/arugula mixture, and last the veggies on top.  I like to leave it decomposed, but if you can combine the lentil/arugula mixture with the veggies if you choose and then serve that over the remaining arugula.  Either way, it is so good!!!

I think I'll go make some more right now...enjoy!!!