Preparation time
20 minutes
Cooking time
30 minutes
Serves
4
This Warm Moroccan Avocado and Roast Vegetable Salad by Lyndey Milan will soon become your favourite healthy, wholesome go-to recipe! Pair with a glass of Pinot Noir for best results.
Ingredients
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush
1½ tablespoons ras el hanout
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
750g pumpkin peeled and cut into medium-sized wedges
1 bunch (250g approx.) Dutch carrots, trimmed and peeled
1 red onion, root intact, cut into wedges
4 Japanese eggplant, halved lengthways
2 avocados, halved and deseeded
180g feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon (20ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons dukkah
Salt and pepper, to season
1 packet small flatbread or pitta
1 tablespoon za’atar
120g baby spinach leaves
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200˚C fan-forced.
2. Combine oil, ras-el hanout and garlic in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin, carrots, onion and eggplant and toss to coat.
3. Place pumpkin, carrots and onion in a single layer in a very large baking tray (or two smaller trays) lined with baking paper and roast for 15 minutes. Add eggplant and roast for another 15 minutes. Turn vegetables and roast for another 10 minutes or until tender.
4. Meanwhile chop the avocado into a 2cm dice. Gently combine with feta, lemon juice and half the dukkah in a medium sized bowl.
5. Brush flatbread (or split pitta) with oil. Sprinkle with za’atar and grill until warm
and only the edges are golden.
6. To serve: spread spinach on a large serving platter and arrange vegetables on top. Top with avocado mixture and sprinkle with the remaining dukkah. Season to taste. Serve with flatbread.
Lyndey’s note: Ras el hanout means “top of the shop”, an exotic Moroccan blend of some 23 spices, so is more complex than a Moroccan spice blend. Za’atar is a zingy Middle Eastern spice blend which includes oregano or thyme, sumac and sesame seeds.