A New View of Healthy Eating: Sweet & Rich Roasted Roots

by Melanie A. Albert, Intuitive Cooking Expert, Author, Speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

A few of my friends have been asking for some of the culinary techniques and recipes in my new book, A New View of Healthy Eating. I’m excited to share one of my very favorite simple techniques to enjoy all kinds of root vegetables. With these simple steps, you can create delicious roasted roots every time you cook them. Have fun with the roots that are in season at farmers’ markets in your area.

Roasted roots are beautiful, flavorful, and sweet, as well as a rich, colorful complement to any meal. The roasting culinary technique is a dry heat cooking method that intensifies and concentrates the flavor of vegetables. When roasted properly, the natural sugars in the vegetables brown or caramelize to create a deep, rich flavor. When visiting your farmers’ market, buy a few roots even if you don’t recognize them, and roast them with this simple, quick culinary technique. Enjoy roasted roots as a side dish, to create soup, with hummus, or in a raw kale salad or veggie wrap.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

• 10-12 of your favorite roots: carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, golden beets, red beets, and radishes
• Approximately ¼ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp dry herbs (Choose a few: basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, or thyme)
• ½ tsp sea salt

SIMPLE STEPS

1. Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F.
2. Scrub roots under running water to clean the outside.
3. Let sit for about 10 minutes to dry.
4. Slice roots into even, bite-size pieces.
5. Mix olive oil, herbs, and sea salt in a bowl to make the dressing.
6. Add root vegetables to the bowl and toss to evenly coat with the dressing.
7. Carefully lay the roots on parchment paper in a heavy-duty flat baking sheet pan. Place roots flat side down in a single layer, making sure the vegetables do not touch.
8. Place baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.
9. Roast roots in the oven for about 20 minutes, then turn vegetables.
10. Cook another 15 minutes, until fork tender.
11. Plate vegetables. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
12. Enjoy!

 

 “In my public and private hands-on cooking classes, I encourage participants to experiment with different herbs and spices for roasted roots. A fun way to intuitively choose herbs is to close your eyes, smell different herbs, and intuitively decide which to use when flavoring the root vegetables. Have fun and be creative.”

Roots are Good for Us!  Roots are nutrient-dense, grounding, and sweet. Enjoy experimenting with the many different types of roots, such as carrots, celery root, golden beets, red beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, and radishes. Root vegetables are:

• Nutrient-dense with calcium, iron, beta carotene, and vitamins A, C, and E.
• Energetically grounding, as roots grow in the earth.
• Naturally sweet when cooked, thus helping reduce sugar cravings.

Roast a Radish. If you’ve never roasted a radish, try a few and notice the difference between a spicy raw radish and a sweet roasted radish.

Simple Veggie Stir-fry….from A New View of Healthy Eating

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