Here’s a simple formula for you to use all fall/winter: roasted vegetables + cooked grains + mustard vinaigrette. I’ve made some variation of it three nights in a row, and I don’t see the streak breaking anytime soon. In Food52 Vegan it’s roasted cauliflower and freekeh; here I’ve used cabbage and kale, because that’s what I had on hand, but so many vegetables could work: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, squash — what couldn’t work is maybe a better question? As with so many grain salads, this one is endlessly adaptable: Make the dressing with vinegar if you don’t have lemons. Use golden raisins in place of the currants, parsley for the mint. Don’t use any herbs at all. This is my favorite kind of recipe, one whose assembly is fluid — as the vegetables roast in the oven, the freekeh cooks stovetop, and you make the dressing — and whose payoff is big: minimal mess and a meal that’s at once light and comforting. It’s the recipe to turn to when you think you have nothing to serve for dinner, and a good reminder that with a little effort — a poke around the cupboard, a nose through the vegetable bin — a delicious surprise may just lie ahead.
5 from 2 reviews So many vegetables could work here: cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, carrots, squash, etc. If you are using kale and cabbage, slice the leaves relatively finely or at least try to make the vegetables you are roasting together be uniform in size so that they cook evenly. Freekeh is not something I’ve cooked with many times, but I happened to have a bag of it on hand, and I think I’ll be buying it more often. It cooks quickly and has a nice, chewy texture — it reminds me of bulgur. Freekeh is harvested when it’s young or “green” then roasted, which gives it a slightly smoky, nutty flavor. Use any grain in place of the freekeh: farro, wheat berry, quinoa, bulgur, etc. I’ve used both currants and golden raisins, but chopped dates would be nice, too — anything to add a touch of sweetness. Nuts would be a nice addition here.
