Winter Salad with Horseradish Dreessing

Winter may be comfort food time of year, but there is something about these dark, dismal and wintery months that makes me crave fresh, colourful and vibrant salads – a little something to perk up the grey!

I was lucky enough to find a horseradish root in the supermarket last week – I’ve wanted to buy one for ages but rarely see them for sale without going out of my way. Wow, what a flavour burst from such a unassuming parsnip-looking vegetable (is it a vegetable?). Horseradish is clearly best friends with soups and sauces, but I was more keen to find a salad that could carry its flavour. After much thinking and searching, this is the winter salad we ended up with (inspired by this delicious sounding salad by Sprouted Kitchen and also what I had hanging around in the fridge post Christmas).

Roasting the veg is essential for the flavour – we ate ours at room temperature which was lovely, but I reckon warm roasted vegetables would work just as well, if not better. The balsamic and horseradish gives a good twang to the dressing, and don’t be tempted to miss out the pomegranate seeds as the little bursts of sweetness are essential to this dish in my opinion. Who knew Brussels sprouts would work so well in a salad?

Winter Salad with Horseradish Dressing (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 2 (multiply for more)

• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into even sized cubes/batons
• 100g/approx. 10 brussels, halved
• 10-15 small cauliflower florets
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp sugar or honey
• 1/2 cup cannellini beans
• rocket, as much as desired
• handful of sunflower seeds, toasted
• handful of pomegranate seeds

for the dressing:

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey/maple syrup
• 2 tbsps grated horseradish (or prepared horseradish, to taste)
• salt and pepper

– Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 6

– Place the sprouts, parsnips and cauliflower in a roasting dish, drizzle with the oil, balsamic, seasoning and honey/sugar and roast for about 30 minutes until golden and cooked through.

– Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust to own preference.

– When the vegetables have roasted, take out of oven and add the Cannellini beans. Toss with 1 tbsp of the dressing and let cool.

– Dress the leaves and vegetables with remaining dressing and arrange on plates.

– Scatter with the pomegranate and sunflower seeds.