Roasted Vegetable Salad with Orange Lemon Dressing

1. Preheat your oven to 400"F. Add a cast iron skillet on the  bottom rack.

2. Rinse the beets well and add them to a roasting dish together with a splash of water. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and roast for  45 minutes to 1 hour in the preheated oven, until done to your liking. Remove from oven and allow them to sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and discard the skins and slice the beets into half inch squares. Set aside until needed.

3. Meanwhile peel the butternut squash, slice in half and using a spoon scoop out the seeds from the center and discard. 

4. Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes and transfer to a roasting dish. Drizzle with a light drizzle of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt. Spread them out on the tray without touching each other and roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes until softened and start to caramelize around the edges. 

5. While the beets and squash finish cooking, trim the ends from the Brussel sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with a drop of olive and a pinch of sea salt. Toss to coat well and carefully transfer them to the preheated cast iron skillet in the oven, preferably cut side down. After 15 minutes give them a toss so they brown all over and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes until cooked to your liking.

Make the Black Rice:

1. Bring the rice, bay leaf, orange peel, a pinch of sea salt and water to a boil over medium flame. Cover with a lid, turn the flame down to medium - low and simmer for 30 minutes until all the water  is absorbed. Remove from flame and allow it to sit covered for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

2. Make the Orange Lemon Dressing:

3. Combine the freshly squeezed blood orange and lemon juice with the olive oil, a pinch of the orange zest and a pinch of sea salt. Whisk well until combined and adjust seasonings to taste with more lemon and sea salt.

Assemble the salad:

1. In a large bowl toss together the black rice with the salad dressing until combined. (Reserve some dressing for serving)

   Plate on a serving tray and top with the roasted beets, squash and Brussel sprouts. Drizzle with the remaining salad dressing and garnish with the basil. Serve warm!