Last season I made a point to do picnics for my kids. They loved the excitement it brought to a simple lunch or dinner. It was an opportunity to spend time outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and play on the slides after we ate. It made Elena so happy to plan and pack up our picnic food. I want to carry that tradition on with me this year. Spending time outside does the soul some good and I intend to do as much of that as I can this summer and fall. (I need to fill up my tank with sunshine for the gloomy winter months here in Utah.) I love making salads that can be enjoyed at room temperature so you can pack them along for some summer fun. It's a nice break from the good old PB&J's. Here is one salad I made recently that would be perfect for such an occasion. We do "cook-outs" up Millcreek Canyon almost every weekend and this would be a great side for a canyon BBQ.
If you can get your hands on some broccolini it really is the key factor in this salad. Oh baby they are crispy, roasty goodness.
Lets make some Roasted Broccolini and Potato Salad!
First lets preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Now we want to wash and prepare our veggies. I cut my potatoes in wedges by slicing them in half, then cutting each half into three wedges. It makes for a chunky salad.
Grab that gorgeous broccolini and wash it, then remove just the end of the stem.
Next lets whisk together our oil, lime juice and minced garlic. This will make a creamy looking oil to toss the veggies with!
Lay out the potatoes and broccolini on a lined baking sheet and drizzle the oil mixture over the veggies. Toss veggies to evenly coat them.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. (I like quite a bit of salt for the potatoes.)
Pop those babies in the hot oven and roast for 20 minutes. Potatoes should be browned slightly and tender when pierced with a fork. Broccolini will be quite crispy and roasted looking. That's alllll good. Just how we want it!
While the veggies are roasting I mix the dressing. Want to know a dirty little secret? I love Good Season's Italian Dressing Packets. I know. I'm lazy and totally could make dressing from scratch, but this is just all too easy and delicious! All you do is grab your handy dandy cruet (got mine in a Good Seasons package) and fill your oil, vinegar, water and dry Italian mix. OK, I add a teaspoon of sugar too, but man it is easy!! I do this on a regular basis when I want a fast dressing that isn't from the refrigerator. You can make it with red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar or really any vinegar you want, but my personal preference is balsamic vinegar. I know, I'm a little obsessed with balsamic... What can I say? It's just that good.
Dressing done. :) Now onto our grape tomatoes. Wash em' and slice them in half lengthwise. Easy peasy.
Radishes give this salad an earthy, fresh element that I love. Just that something special. Slice them thin and toss em' in!
Look at the beautiful bowl of vegetable perfection. You're almost done!
Drizzle the dressing to taste over the veggies and give it a toss. Now for the naughty part of the dish. Parmesan. Oh baby I love me some Parm. It makes everything better. Really. Try it!
Voila! There you have a ready to pack up and go party salad that would suit any number of picnic or BBQ main dishes. Or, if you are like me and just love having a veggie salad handy in the fridge to eat for lunch, do that! Healthy and packed with flavor. Now you have no excuse to hit the drive-thru on your way to the park. :) Ha!
Enjoy my friends! I hope you take a moment to have an outdoor picnic with your loved ones. It makes food taste so much better when you are eating it out in nature! "So get out there, get into nature, and make your own discoveries!!" ~Dr. Scott (The paleontologist from PBS)
Oh dear. I watch too many cartoons with my kids. It's poisoned my mind......
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