I went to the farmers’ market by our house today to stock up on our weekly produce and the strawberry guy was back with a stand after being gone for a few months. Yes, it was 70 degrees and sunny today in Las Vegas, but strawberry season at the beginning of March? It just seems a little too early for me to be switching to summer food already! I’m still craving warm comforting flavours and heavy meals, not light salads and cold entrees.

Perhaps this mouthwatering Warm Winter Vegetable Salad is the perfect way to wean me from hearty and filling winter foods to a sunnier spring menu. You still get the nutty denseness of roasted winter vegetables, but the dish is brightened up by some crumbled feta and a lemon juice-based dressing. This salad makes enough for 4 lunches at $1.94 per serving.

Warm Winter Vegetable Salad, adapted from Food & Wine, March 2010
2 red onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3 beets, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup walnuts
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 425¬?. In a medium roasting pan, toss the onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery root, and beets with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and roast them for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are tender and lightly browned in spots.

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant and golden, around 5 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a chopping board and coarsely chop them up.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar with the lemon juice, mustard, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix in the parsley. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add the roasted vegetables and walnuts to the dressing and toss everything together. Top the salad with the crumbled feta and serve the dish warm or at room temperature.