Hit the winter jackpot with this fragrant, spicy salad that is frugally low in fat but happily high in taste.
By Nicola Basson
Photograph by Johan Wilke
Spiced butternut and beetroot salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium red onions, cut into wedges
- 4 medium beetroots, cut into wedges
- 1 small butternut, cut into small wedges
- 2 red apples, cut into 0,5cm slices
- 3cm piece fresh ginger
- 3 star anise
- 30ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 60ml (¼ cup) red wine vinegar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- red radicchio leaves, torn, to serve
- baby salad or rocket leaves, to serve
- rye toast, to serve
DRESSING
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 200ml fat-free yoghurt
- 30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray.
Place the onions, beetroot, butternut and apple on the baking tray.
Slice the ginger into thin shavings with a vegetable peeler and add it to the vegetables together with the star anise. Sprinkle over the sugar, red wine vinegar and season.
Roast in the oven until the vegetables begin to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and shake to coat well. Leave to cool slightly.
Make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients.
Remove the ginger and star anise from the vegetables and discard.
Arrange the salad leaves on 4 small plates or 1 large platter. Top with the vegetables. Spoon over the dressing and serve with thin slices of rye toast.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
