Recipe| Roasted Veggie Root Mix

As promised, here is the recipe for my Roasted Vegetable Root Mix. This one came from having an overabundance of root veggies that I needed to do something with, so feel free to modify all ingredients to match your tastes and what you have in the kitchen. Nothing here needs to be exact.  This dish is so healthy and vibrant…. even my two-year-old loves it!

 

Ingredients:

4 to 5 rainbow carrots (peeled or not, your choice)
1 large sweet potato

1 large purple sweet potato
1 red pepper

1 bushel of kale
2 watermelon turnips or beets
Handful (20-30) of baby potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise in halves
1 large or 2 medium onions, trimmed, peeled and halved, each 1/2 cut into quarters
1 whole large head garlic or several small, separated into cloves, sliced

3 tbsp good olive oil (my favorite is flavored with harissa or something spicy)

Fresh Ground Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 spinach chicken sausage links

 

Honey Tumeric Sauce

1/2c Greek yogurt

1/2c mayonnaise

1tsp turmeric

1/8tsp cinnamon

4Tbs honey

1tsp orange muscat vineger

 

Instructions: 

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Cut all the veggies into similarly sized pieces. (Tip: When roasting, it’s better to cut large pieces as they will shrink when roasting.) Don’t be stingy with the veggies, this is the whole meal, so you will need plenty, AND it makes a great leftover in the morning with a couple of organic farm fresh eggs over medium on top!

 

 

Place all the cut vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle with the infused Harissa olive oil and EVOO, then toss well so all pieces are lightly coated. I use the Harissa for a little spice. If you do not like spice, this step can be omitted and just use olive oil.  I have to blend the two because my little kiddies can eat spicy food, but not too spicy.

 

After tossing, place the veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Add salt (I like gray salt, pink salt or some fancy salt), plus fresh ground pepper to taste

Roast for 35 to 50 minutes until all the vegetables are tender yet crispy, turning once halfway through the roasting process. The time variation depends on whether you are using a convection, roasting, or baking setting.  Just have a fork nearby to check!

 

Once you’ve finished roasting the vegetables, you can start sautéing the kale. 

Take about a 1/3ccup  of the onions chopped small with a little EVOO and saute them until they’re translucent. Then add in your roughly chopped kale and toss until wilted. 

 

Now it’s time to move on to the Yogurt Honey Curry sauce that tops it all off! I love sauces, I could be a saucier!  When you eat as healthy as we do most of the time, you need a little fatty love on top to make it wonderful and delicious.  Plus, my toddlers devour anything you can put a sauce on.  Of course, you could use ranch, but this curry sauce is much healthier and tastes better with a root mix! Turmeric has a host of health benefits, as well as cinnamon, and it is so easy to make!

 

In a medium bowl, place 1/2cup of Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of your favorite brand of mayonnaise, or you can go all yogurt, but I think it tastes better with a half-and-half blend.

 

Add 1 tsp of turmeric 

 

Add 1/8 tsp of cinnamon

 

Add 4 tsp of honey. You may add more or less depending upon how sweet you desire.

 

And to balance out the sweetness, I add 1 tsp of this orange muscat vinegar.  

Finally, take your favorite link sausage and cook it in water. Then remove the casing and slice and stir fry it for a quick second, if you like, or you can put it straight into the root mix.  Today, I’m using a locally made chicken spinach sausage that is minimally processed, and the chickens are free-range and heritage birds that are humanely raised.  Only eat clean meat from a source you know and trust whenever possible.

 

 

I put a sliced link per person or half one for children on top of the root mix plus the sautéed kale, then drizzle the sauce on top and enjoy!

 

 

 

I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe! Take photos of your final dish and tag me on Instagram. (@LauraLaire)

 

Eat real food,

-LL

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