Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and once again we celebrated with a non-tradional beef tenderloin in lieu of turkey and, while that particular bird has never been a family-favourite, we still stick to a routine of roasting whichever autumnal vegetables look best at the grocery store. This explains why I now have an abundance of roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and beets just begging to be added to big and beautiful salad bowls such as this one. The sky’s the limit when it comes to ingredient options, I picked these ones because they make me feel as though I’m eating a rainbow and frankly, I already had them in my crisper. The pistachios could be any salted nut or seed, their saltiness against the sweetened roasted vegetables is the really important thing (which is why I’ve added a small crumble of feta to the dressing). You could really use any sort of dressing but I think the creaminess of this particular version really complements the roasted vegetables and provides a pleasant contrast to the crisp raw vegetables.

harvest salad bowl with roasted vegetables and pistachios:

An assortment of leftover roasted vegetables, especially brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and beets (or choose from a long list of other options including yams, sweet potatoes, broccoli, squash, mushrooms, or new potatoes)

About 1 cup of shredded purple cabbage

1 carrot, grated

4 grape tomatoes, quartered

1 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds

1 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

creamy lemon basil dressing:

1 heaping Tbsp. Greek yogurt

1 heaping Tbsp. sour cream

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. olive oil

About 2 Tbsp. crumbled salty feta

A couple of basil leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade

Juice of half a lemon

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake until completely emulsified.

Arrange the salad ingredients in a shallow bowl, layering the pistachios, scallions, and pomegranate seeds on top. Drizzle with the creamy lemon basil dressing and enjoy the rainbow of fresh flavours that is your harvest vegetable salad bowl!

This song has a way of making people happy very quickly. A few years ago I was in Ontario visiting my dad and stepmom and we were driving around running errands when this song started playing from my iPod. We ended up driving around the block about ten times so my dad could get in repeated listenings and sing-alongs. We also played this song at our wedding, which (and I’m not trying to brag) was one of the best dance parties ever and people went crazy. I have it on a playlist full of very random songs and whenever Heart and Soul comes on it’s almost impossible not to have an in-the-moment one-person dance party right there and then, especially if you’re in the kitchen chopping vegetables.

Huey Lewis and The News – Heart and Soul