Recipe Time: Rainbow Roasted Root Veggies
Until you’ve eaten roasted root vegetables, you don’t know what magical goodness happens in the oven. The edges crisp to a golden brown, while the insides get soft and tender. Delicious!
What are root vegetables? They’re plants in which we eat the root of course, the part that grows underground. There are many, but I think of turnips, beets, parsnips, carrots and all varieties of potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.
Choose a variety of colors for flavor, nutrition and a beautiful plate.
When I roast root vegetables, I aim for a blend of colors. Yellows, purples, oranges, whites. Besides looking beautiful on your plate, the various colors signify different polyphenols, which act as antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory. They also feed healthy gut flora.
You can make this recipe two ways. The first is simple — season with S&P and a little garlic. This really let’s the natural flavors of the veggies shine. But we can certainly dress them up for a special occasion, so I’ve included some optional seasonings to give your veggies a party vibe.
Ingredients
4 beets (red or golden)
3 large carrots
2 parsnips
1 small turnip
1 large sweet potato
3 T coconut oil, melted
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt & pepper to taste
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Optional fancy ingredients ….
1 T fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp. dried rosemary)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° F, then chop veggies into 1-inch chunks. (You can go smaller if you prefer, but stay consistent among all the veggies.)
Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread out the beets and carrots on one and the turnips, sweet potatoes and parsnips on the other.
Drizzle the coconut oil over the vegetables. I use a basting brush to evenly coat them with oil. Sprinkle on minced garlic and S & P. If using, add the thyme, rosemary and cumin. Mix well.
Bake 25-35 min., stirring halfway through. Cook until the veggies are fork tender, but not mushy. When out of the oven, drizzle with olive oil, add a dash of salt & pepper if needed, toss and serve.
Serves: 4-6
