A Rainbow for St. Patty's Day

Okay, Okay, I know...I'm a day late for an official St. Patty's Day celebration. Can I blame it on being a little stuck in laid-back California time? :) San Francisco was beautiful, the baby traveled amazingly happily, and my friend was the best travel company! THANKS, MANON!! (also thanks to Manon for this weeks recipe!) :)

I hope everyone's not too sick of roasted vegetables...I feel like that is the basis of many of my meals lately, but this one is waaaay too good not to share. Sadly, no photos of this one because hubby took the new laptop to LA with him (we swapped coasts within 24 hours...I tried to convince him to take Lainey with him and let me meet up with him in LA, but the flights were too expensive. :( ). You'll have to go on description alone for this one. It sounds pretty simple and maybe even a little boring, but it's NOT. It's so good. I've made it now for dinner company three or four times, and it's a hit every time. And, Lainey gobbles up every veggie on her plate, without hesitation or convincing. Gotta love that.

I've served Rainbow Salad now over rice, over lo mein noodles, over ramen noodles, and as a stand-alone with bread. It's quick and easy and full of flavor. Hope you like it!

RAINBOW SALAD

7 C. root vegetables, chopped: (use any, all, or a few of the following)

turnips

red beets

yellow beets (they have these at Price Chopper on occasion!)

chioggia beets/candystripe (the farmer's market)

red carrots

yellow carrots

orange carrots

sweet potatoes

7 whole garlic cloves

2 c. chopped kale or spinach

1/2 c. cashews, chopped

Whisk these ingredients together for the dressing:

1/4 c. rice wine vinegar

1/2 c. sesame oil

1/4 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2" ginger, minced

Chop roots and add whole garlic cloves. Roast in oven at 425° for at least 45 minutes until fork tender. Add chopped kale/spinach to warm veggies; this slightly cooks the kale for a wilted texture. Add chopped cashews. Toss in about half the dressing, and save the rest to add to individual servings as desired.