• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Full of Plants
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dish
    • Soups
    • Sides
    • Salads
    • Desserts
  • Shop
  • About
    • FAQ
  • Resources
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Resources
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Resources
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Fall Forest Salad

    By: Thomas Published: 20 Oct, 16 Updated: 3 Sep, 20 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Vegan Fall Forest Salad

    A comforting and hearty salad with roasted orange carrots, chestnuts, mushrooms, green lentils, brown rice and pecans, plus a touch of fresh dill.

    This recipe is a thousand years old, it was a very popular dish among the people living in the forests during the middle ages in Europe. The kids were sent pick the mushrooms and carrots while the people staying at the village were preparing the rice and green lentils in large copper pots. The dill was also grown in the forest and was added to the salad mostly for its health benefits: boosting the immune system. The salad was so delicious people were preparing large batches to have it for the whole week. Okay okay...I made up everything, I'm not even sure if you can find dill in forests BUT the fact this salad is delicious is true though.

    The fresh dill contrasts well with the orange maple-roasted carrots, creating a nice balance of flavors.

    Vegan Fall Forest Salad

    The recipe starts with the carrots, that are roasted in a baking dish with the orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, olive oil and a touch of cinnamon until they become soft and caramelized.

    I used baby carrots but it works well with regular carrots, just cut them lengthwise into sticks. If you prefer you can also chop the carrots into chunks, in this case you might need to reduce a little bit the baking time. I think this would work very well with chopped pumpkin too, feel free to experiment!

    While the carrots are baking you have enough time to prepare the green lentils, brown rice and mushrooms.

    Vegan Fall Forest Salad

    Green lentils combined with brown rice create a complete protein source, plus the lentils add a nice texture to this salad. Since brown rice and green lentils have approximately the same cooking time, you can cook them together in a single saucepan. Yessssss, less dishes to wash!

    One of my favorite things about fall are chestnuts, every time I smell chestnuts roasting in the oven I feel it's Christmas again. Roasting chestnuts takes some time, so if you are in a hurry you can just use the canned or vacuum-packed ones.

    Freshly roasted chestnuts are delicious on their own, just as a snack, but they also make a great addition to any kind of salad or vegetable stir-fry. Did you know that chestnuts, unlike other nuts are very low in fat and high in carbs? Win-win.

    This comforting and nutritious salad has all the flavors of fall in every bite, plus it's super versatile, you can replace the pecans with walnuts, the carrots with pumpkin, etc, basically what you have on hand!

    Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

    Vegan Fall Forest Salad

    Print

    Fall Forest Salad

    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    All the flavors of fall combined in a hearty, comforting salad.

    • Yield: 4 1x

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Roasted orange carrots

    • 12 baby carrots (you can use different colors)
    • ½ cup orange juice
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tbsp maple syrup
    • ⅛ tsp cinnamon

    Lentils/Brown rice

    • ⅔ cup brown rice
    • ⅓ cup green lentils
    • 2 cups water
    • ½ tsp salt

    Garnish

    • 6-8 mushrooms, washed
    • ½ cup cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
    • ¼ cup pecans
    • ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped (optional)

    Dill Vinaigrette

    • ⅓ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 tsp maple syrup
    • 1 small shallot, minced
    • zests from one orange (optional)

    Instructions

    Roasted orange carrots

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    2. Wash the carrots. If using normal size carrots: peel them and cut them in 4 lengthwise.
    3. Place the carrots in a baking dish, add the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, maple syrup and cinnamon. If you made fresh orange juice, add the orange zests too. Mix everything together, making sure the carrots are well coated. Add water if needed until about ⅓ of the carrots are
    4. Bake for about 50 minutes, stirring from time to time. Check regularly to be sure there is still some water in the baking dish. Add more water if needed.
    5. Let cool completely and cut each carrot into bite-size pieces.

    Lentils/Brown rice

    1. Combine the green lentils, brown rice, water and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until almost no water remains.

    Mushrooms

    1. Chop the mushrooms and sautée in a non-stick skillet for about 5 minutes.
    2. Deglaze with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and set aside.

    Dressing

    1. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, shallot and chopped dill in a small bowl.

    Salad

    1. In a large bowl, combine the green lentils, brown rice, mushrooms and roasted orange carrots. Add the chopped chestnuts, pecans and cranberries if using. Drizzle with the dill vinaigrette and mix until well combined.
    2. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hours. Serve cold.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1
    • Calories: 380
    • Sugar: 10g
    • Fat: 14g
    • Carbohydrates: 57g
    • Fiber: 8.5g
    • Protein: 9g

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants

    Sign up to the Full of Plants Newsletter
    Subscribe To Our Newsletter
    Receive new recipes straight to your inbox + a free eBook on Vegan Cheese Making!
    Invalid email address
    Thanks for subscribing!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie

      November 03, 2016 at 5:23 pm

      Hi, Thomas,
      I'm having this for lunch at work right now -- it is a delicious mix of flavors and textures, especially set upon a mossy bank of sauteed kale. I really enjoy all the recipes on your blog, and have had success with several of them, including the vegan Camembert. Thank you for sharing your talent so generously!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Thomas

        November 04, 2016 at 8:07 am

        Hi Julie,
        Thanks for your feedback and kind words! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆
    Rate this Recipe




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Thomas, welcome to my blog! Here you will find simple, healthy and tasty plant-based recipes. Experimenting in the kitchen is my passion.

    Learn more about me →

    Please wait...

    Thank you for sign up!

    Most Popular

    • Instant Pot Cauliflower Tikka Masala
    • How To Make Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette)
    • Vegan Aged Camembert Cheese
    • Spicy Vegan Hot Pot

    Footer

    • Quick Dinners
    • Vegan Cheese Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Vegan Desserts

    About

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Blogging Resources

    Join the Community!

    Copyright © 2022 Full of Plants.

    x
    WANT A FREE EBOOK?
    Subscribe to receive your FREE 100-Page eBook "The Art of Vegan Cheese Making" with over 25 recipes!

    We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
    Invalid email address
    Thanks for subscribing! You should receive your eBook soon!
    Close Optin
    We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
    Invalid email address
    Thanks for subscribing!