Meatless Monday - Roasted Pepper Salad with Capers and Avocado

Don’t you just love roasted vegetables? Something about roasting them really brings out the best flavors. Now that summer is fading it’s cool enough for me to want to have the oven on to roast the veggies but it’s still summer enough to enjoy a good salad. Of course a salad like this would be good in the depths of winter or the hight of summer because it’s so incredibly delicious.

Seriously, you owe it to yourself to try this salad. It’s got a bit of spice but not enough to hurt you if you’re sensitive. Of course you could always try even milder peppers if you’re super sensitive to spicy foods.

Roasted Pepper Salad

Roasted Pepper Salad with Capers

Ingredients:

2 lbs bell peppers (or other)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup (or more) halved cherry tomatoes
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced to yield about 1 cup
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (or substitute with almonds)
roughly chopped basil or cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 avocado

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Cut each pepper in half through the core. Remove seeds and stem. Cut each half into three or four strips. Place strips in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.

2. Arrange peppers slices, cut-side up, on a large baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until peppers are tender and slightly browned on the edges — thinner peppers will cook more quickly, so start checking at 20 minutes if thin.

3. Serve warm or at room temperature or continue on and make the salad.

4. Toss together the diced peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, capers, toasted pine nuts, herbs, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and avocado to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Enjoy.

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