cooking with Diane Phillips

On Friday my mother in law and I took a class at Great News with Diane Phillips. I am a huge admirer of Diane. Not only is she a fabulous cook {did someone say James Beard Award!} but she is incredibly kind and generous with her amazing gifts. I still feel pretty sick these days but after this class I knew if I could get 2 things done this weekend it would be to make the salad and make the penne dish {look for this on Wednesday} that Diane did in her class because I knew I wouldn't stop obsessing over them until I did...
So here you go...
Roasted Rainbow Carrot Salad with Arugula, with Orange-Mint Vinaigrette and crumbled goat cheese
{serves 4}

One bunch rainbow carrots {about 6 small, 4 medium or 2 large} peeled stems and tops removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium navel oranges {Cara Cara ---pink or blood are nice} sectioned, and juice squeezed into a bowl
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey {orange blossom if available}
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or red onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Arugula, cleaned and spun dry
4 ounces {about 1 cup} crumbled goat cheese {buy it in a log and then crumble it when it's cold}
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking liner or aluminum foil.
2. Arrange the carrots on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper. Toss the carrots to coat them with the mixture. Roast the carrots for 15 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3. Depending on the size of the carrots cut the carrots into bite size pieces {baby carrots, slice into quarters and medium carrots dice into 1/2 inch pieces} and add them to the mixing bowl. Add the oranges to the bowl, and set aside while making the vinaigrette.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, vinegar, honey, shallot and mint. Taste the dressing for seasoning and adjust using salt and pepper.
5. Drizzle the carrots and orange with some of the dressing and toss to coat.
6. Toss the arugula with some of the dressing, and arrange on salad plates. Top with some of the carrot/orange mixture, and a bit of the crumbled goat cheese. Garnish with mint if desired. {* I also added some rainbow radishes because I had a big beautiful one but it is beautiful and delish with out}

If you ever get the chance, take one of Diane's classes! and if you live too far away, check out some of her fabulous cook books... you can not go wrong with any of her recipes, they are all easy to understand and guaranteed to delight. Oh one more thing... she also has a blog where she will post recipes, tips in the kitchen and advice on gadgets.

Side note: This weekend it was my turn to drop off food for Olivia James and since mommy can't do gluten or dairy I made this salad with pieces of rotisserie chicken. yum!