I am kind of a maniac in the fall when it comes to the kitchen. I really cannot be stopped. There is just so much great autumn produce and when you combine that with the herbs, spices, and overall “crispness” of the season, it makes me want to really get creative. This Shredded Kale Salad with Roasted Veggies and Turmeric Drizzle is vegetarian and vegan-friendly, ridiculously nutritious, and makes me want to just spend the entire season in my kitchen.
But it doesn’t stop there. This salad is amazing for a thousand other different reasons. Here are a few:

1. Turmeric. I talk about this amazing yellow spice a lot, and not just because it does amazing things for the body, but because it’s so easy to incorporate. Read why I love turmeric so much and why it needs to be in your next meal. There's also a cool recipe for a face mask using turmeric.

2. There is black pepper which increases the power of the turmeric by almost 200 %. This basically means that all that great stuff I just talked about barely happens unless black pepper is introduced.

3. It’s shredded Kale, which means, it’s so much easier to eat. Why all kale salads aren’t given this much love I will never know.

4. It’s seriously easy to make. Because I can’t spend the entire day cooking, I usually do dishes like this in a few stages. The roasting of the veggies is really the part that takes longest, though much of it is hands off. I actually like to do this part in the morning  if I’m home that day, or the day before if I’m not. That way the rest of the “preparing” is really just about assembling the ingredients.

5. It’s seasonal which means we’re in the moment! Here is where my yoga brain kicks in. What better a teacher is there than food, to help us experience what’s happening around us? Earthy colors, with a sweet, crisp taste. That’s what a fall salad should be.

Step 1: Make the Turmeric Drizzle and set aside

Turmeric Drizzle
1 cup apple cider
2.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
Pinch coriander
¼ cup olive oil

Add all ingredients except olive oil to a small sauce pan and cook on medium high heat until boiling. Turn off heat and let cool. 

After mixture cools add olive oil into a mason jar or jar with lid followed by apple cider mixture. Shake well until combined. Use throughout the week on salads, vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, basically ANYTHING you can get your hands on. Just don’t forget to save some for the salad!

Step #2: Make the Roasted Veggies

Pick 3 Vegetables to roast along with one fruit. Try to include at least one or two Root Vegetables since that’s what gives the salad an earthy flavor and balances so nicely with the tangy sweet dressing. I did Carrots, Parsnips, Brussel Sprouts and New Potatoes. You'll have plenty of veggies left over for lunch box making, snacks, or even breakfasts. Other veg ideas include:

*Turnips

*Rutabaga

*Sweet Potato

*Butternut Squash

*Acorn Squash

*Red Beets

*Golden Beets

*Fresh Green Beans

*Pumpkin

For fruits, I grilled some pears and tossed in goji berries. Apples, figs or dates would also work great here.

Tips on Roasting Vegetables

When cutting the veggies, keep in mind it doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact it’s much more appealing if it’s not, but try to keep the size similar since you want them to cook evenly. For all the veggies, I drizzled with a generous amount of olive oil and sea salt. Since they all cook at similar temperatures, you can just keep the oven on and transfer whatever cookie sheets wouldn't fit the first go around. 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients
Brussel Sprouts (about 1.5 lbs)
3 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse brussel sprouts and dry well with towel. Combine ingredients in large bowl and spread in a single layer onto a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 35-40 minutes or until slightly brown and tender, stirring half-way through.

Roasted Carrots, Parsnips, and Potatoes

Ingredients
4 large carrots, peeled
4 parsnips, peeled and rough skin removed
1-1.5 lbs red or white potatoes
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roughly chop all veggies approximately 1-1.5 inch dice. Place veggies in a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients unti well combined. Divide among 2 cookie sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake about 45 minutes to an hour or until tender, stirring half-way through to prevent sticking.

Let veggies cool slightly and reseason if needed. 

Step 3: Prepare remaining ingredients

1 bunch organic Kale
4 tbsp goji berries
2-3 Asian pears, quartered

Now put it all together, the BEST PART!

Rinse and dry kale well, transfer to a wooden cutting board and chop well. I like to roll it up into a tight ball and get a nice fine shred with a simple chef’s knife. Add kale to a large bowl where it will await the beauties that are about to join it. With clean hands, massage kale like the good kitchen masseuse that you are. 

Toss in the veggies and one by one followed by the pears & goji berries. Toss the salad well before plating. Once plated, dress the salad. Feel free to comment and share away. Would love to know how you enjoyed the salad!