Roasted Vegetables with Feta Dressing, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds & Crispy Kale

This post is the second in a series where I want to show you how meals based around roasted vegetables, accompanied by a range of tasty mix and match dressings, are a great way to help you reach your recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables. In this post I share a recipe for Roasted Vegetables with Feta Dressing, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds & Crispy Kale which provides 5-7 portions of vegetables..

In the first post in this series, I highlighted the fact that most people in Britain still appeared to be struggling to eat the recommended minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, according to a 2017 study by Diabetes UK 58% of those surveyed said that they wanted to eat more vegetables but weren’t sure how to go about it.

In our house, we try to make vegetables the centre of a large proportion of our meals, and find that having quick-roasted vegetables several times a week, accompanied by one of a number of dressings plus a protein such as fish, chicken, cheese, nuts or pulses, helps us to reach that minimum target pretty easily – and tastily!

Meal 1 in the series roasted courgettes, broccoli, red onion and red pepper and served them with a yogurt, lemon & mint dressing alongside pan-fried mackerel. In this post we’re going to use some of those same vegetables but also include roasted butternut squash and beetroot. Besides walnuts and pumpkin seeds, the protein element is supplied by the dressing itself which is based on feta cheese.

Roasted Vegetables with Feta Dressing, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds & Crispy Kale

I got the idea for this dressing from Tom Kerridge‘s delicious recipe for Marinated Artichokes with Feta and Mint in which he whips feta with a little single cream and serves it on the side of the artichoke salad. But I wanted a thinner consistency that could be drizzled and also a slightly less calorific version. So, instead of the single cream I use natural yogurt, but around the same weight as the feta; if you want a thicker sauce then just reduce the amount of yogurt.

Like all of the dressings in this series, the feta sauce can be put together in next to no time – I usually make it first so that the roasting veg gets my full attention. All you do is put the feta, yogurt and a little black pepper in the small bowl of a food processor (or use a stick blender) and whizz the whole lot until smooth. I like to add a little dill but you can add any herbs you fancy, fresh or dried. Set aside until needed, it will sit happily in the fridge for a few days if necessary or if you have leftovers.

I think this salty, tangy dressing contrasts really well with roasted vegetables as the roasting makes them slightly sweet as they brown and caramelize. In this recipe, I’ve further emphasized that contrast by including in the mix the naturally sweet vegetables butternut squash and beetroot. To introduce a little spiciness, I roast them with fennel and cumin seeds and a few chilli flakes.

As the squash and beetroot are much harder vegetables than the onion, red pepper and broccoli, I cook them separately. You could just use the same roasting tin, putting the beetroot in for 5 minutes, adding the squash 5 minutes later and then the rest of the veg a further 5 minutes after that, but as I don’t like the colour of the beetroot to be transferred to the other veg (purely for visual reasons as I like to see the individual colours) I prefer to keep them separate for as long as possible. For the final 2 minutes of roasting, I scatter over chopped cavolo nero or kale, not mixing it in too much to make sure it will turn nice and crispy.

The amount of vegetables I’ve given in the recipe will easily provide the WHOLE of your recommended minimum daily intake for the day (I make it about six and a half portions of veg). And that’s without my optional extras of a few chunks of raw, crunchy veg for contrast such as cucumber and some olives or pickled chillies.

Scattering over some lightly toasted nut and seeds – I’ve used walnut and pumpkin seeds but use any others you happen have – will add further textural interest as well as fibre and protein

I love feta cheese so, to finish the dish, I like to sprinkle over some little nuggets of the cheese too. Feta cheese doesn’t keep that well, so doing this also conveniently uses up the other half of a standard 200g block between 2 people.

I think this combination of vegetables, nuts and dressing makes a lovely meal and, even for omnivores like myself, shows that a largely plant-based dish can have a wonderfully satisfying range of flavours and textures while making sure you get those all-important portions of vegetables into your diet.

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Roasted Vegetables with Feta Dressing, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds & Crispy Kale

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

For the feta dressing

• 100 g feta cheese
• 80-100 g plain yogurt
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch dried dill (optional)

For the roasted vegetables

• 2 medium beetroot (approx 180g in total) peeled, cut into chunks
• 1/3 medium butternut squash (approx 450g) peeled, cut into chunks
• 1/3 head broccoli (approx 130g) separated into florets
• 2 medium red onions (approx 160g in total) quartered
• 1 large red pepper (approx 130g) cut into thick batons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp fennel seeds lightly crushed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds lightly crushed
• 0.5 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 handfuls cavolo nero or kale (approx 25g) tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped

To serve

• 60 g cucumber, roughly chopped (optional)
• few olives (optional)
• 40 g walnuts lightly toasted in a dry pan
• 20 g pumpkin seeds lightly toasted in a dry pan
• 100 g feta, crumbled (optional)
• handful fresh herbs, e.g. coriander, mint, parsley (optional)

Instructions

For the feta dressing

1. In the small bowl of a food processor or using a stick blender combine all the ingredients, adjusting the amount of yogurt to give your preferred consistency. Set aside.
   

For the roasted vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7

2. Put the prepared beetroot in a small baking tray, adding half the cumin and fennel seeds, half the chilli flakes and half a tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, a little of the garlic and stir well.

   Place in the oven until just cooked through but nicely coloured (20-25 min). Check and stir a couple of times.
   

3. Put the prepared butternut squash in a separate baking tray and season exactly the same as for the beetroot.

   Place in the oven until just cooked through but nicely browned (15-20 min). Check and stir a couple of times.
   

4. Put the remaining vegetables (except the cavolo nero or kale) in a large baking tray and season with the rest of the spices, garlic and oil.

   Place in the oven and cook until charred a little and done to your liking (10-15 min). Check and stir once. Sprinkle over the cavolo nero or kale for the final 2 minutes.
   

To serve

1. Divide the vegetables between 2 plates, adding the cucumber and olives if using. Drizzle over the feta dressing then sprinkle with the walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Scatter over the crumbled feta and herbs if using.