Roasted Veggie, Quinoa, Millet & Arugala Salad

I love roasting vegetables. It usually starts in the Fall and doesn't end until our wet Spring is over. They just seem to go with every meal this time of year and I can prepare them as simply (salt and pepper) or complex (curry spiced) as I want and they fill me up in that perfect way.

Roasting sweet potatoes and carrots together seems to happen most often. So the other night when our first batch of the season was in the oven, I decide I wanted to jazz it up a bit. I quickly brought a pot of water to a boil with some quinoa and millet, whisked together a simple dressing and washed and dried some arugula.

Aren't those carrots pretty! They're a white variety that ended up in our csa box, but they taste just like the orange ones, so don't feel like you need to hunt them down. The taste of this salad was so satisfying. The slight chewiness from the grains, mixed with perfectly tender, sweet bits of potato and carrot and topped over the spicy arugula all worked as well as I had hoped. The lime was a bit of an unexpected welcome in the dressing, but I'm sure lemon would work too. I think a light hand of crumbled feta or goat cheese would be nice here as well.

The roasted vegetables and grains I think could work well even on there own without the arugula if you'd prefer. I think if I had more limes I would have added an extra slice to each plate for others to squeeze a little extra on if they wished. I love all things tart and vinegary though. Also I kept the skins on my potatoes, it doesn't bother me and it saves peeling time, but they can be peeled if you prefer.

Roasted Veggie, Quinoa, Millet & Arugula Salad
serves 4 generously

for the salad
1 bunch carrots, washed, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 sweet potato, washed and sliced 1/8-inch thick, then halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 bunch arugula, washed and trimmed

for the dressing
juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 425˚F.

Place the carrots and sweet potato on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands until everything is well coated, then place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until just tender, stirring half way through.

In the mean time, rinse and drain the millet an quinoa. Place in a small sauce pan and add the water. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up and check for doneness. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking as you go. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Place the veggies and millet/quinoa into a large serving bowl and toss together. Pour in the dressing and toss so everything gets well coated. Serve over arugula with extra lime wedges if you wish.