Roasted Butternut, Fig & Goji Berry Salad

This versatile salad is the perfect dish to have up your sleeve for entertaining, weeknight dinners, pot-luck events or a simple desk lunch. It is easy, healthy, delicious and heroes the delicious and powerful goji berry. Goji berries are an incredible superfood with multiple benefits. They are a complete protein, making them a wonderful inclusion to a fully vegan diet, and they are also known to help stimulate digestion as well as boost immune function and promote youthful energy. A seemingly simple addition to this colourful salad, these small but mighty berries are actually the star of the show.
Created by @thehunnyfox

Ingredients

1 butternut, sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
½ Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
8 fresh figs, halved
4 C salad greens of choice (e.g. baby spinach and rocket)
⅓ C Goji Berries
⅓ C good quality feta or goat's cheese, optional

For the dressing:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp raw honey, or pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp orange zest
½ Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
sea salt
black pepper

Method

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 200℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2:

Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Start with a pinch each of sea salt and black pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add the goji berries to your dressing and leave them in the mixture to soften while you roast the veg.

Step 3:

Remove from the oven, add the figs to the baking tray and roast for another 5 - 10 minutes, until the figs have softened and are slightly caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Step 4:

Add the salad greens to a large bowl or plate and top with the roasted butternut and figs. Sprinkle with your dressed goji berries, drizzle the remainder of the dressing over the salad, and top with crumbled cheese if you are using it.