Spring Seasonal Composed Salad

Image by Jean Hanks

By Jean Hanks June 7, 2015

I wanted to experiment with roasting artichokes and they came out pretty delicious. It’s nice to have a mixture of textures in a composed salad, so I incorporated sliced raw bell peppers and carrots for crunch as well as color. This would also be good with some baked tofu or chicken.

1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
2 carrots, sliced in rounds
6-8 strawberries, sliced Balsamic vinegar

For the roasted artichokes
2 artichokes
1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves
Salt and papper

1) Preheat oven to 425˚ F.

2) Cut the bottom stem and top 1/3 off artichoke with a sharp, serrated knife then use a small paring knife to hollow out and discard inner, center leaves.

3) Spread artichoke leaves out as much as you can then drizzle with half a lemon and 1 tablespoon olive oil each.

4) Season liberally with salt and pepper then stuff 3 garlic cloves in the hollowed out center.

Image by Jean Hanks

5) Wrap tightly in a large sheet of foil then roast for 50-70 minutes or until very tender.

For the asparagus
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt, to taste

1) Spread the asparagus out on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and garlic salt to taste.

2) Mix the asparagus around on the baking sheet to get them evenly coated.

3) Roast at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes until they’re tender but still retain a bright green color.

After the asparagus and artichokes have been roasted, assemble all of the ingredients on a large platter and drizzle everything with the balsamic vinegar. Feel free to get creative with the presentation!

My other salad recipes:
–
– Spring Salad With Strawberries and Feta

Jean Hanks is the Forward’s food intern.

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