Posted 12/30/2024

In Blog, In the Press, TV Videos & Recipes, Video

Vegetables, here’s how to make the sweetness root vegetables.

Slow roasting local, organic root vegetables brings out their natural sweetness.

And in the wintertime, the heat of the oven warms your home with the delicious aromas of herbs and spices. One of my favorite herb and spice combinations is Mediterranean: garlic, thyme, basil and rosemary. Yum!

I usually make an infused flavored oil in summer marinating dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil with fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic chives, basil, and even edible calendula flowers. Then, in the winter, I can use that oil to roast vegetables like beets, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and parsnips.

You can also use the same root vegetable combination or change it. Feel free to swap the spices to create other global flavors. For example, you can roast butternut squash with cumin seeds, fennel seeds, chilies and mustard seeds for an Indian accent.

Free Play

Choose 1-5 colorful organic, root vegetables to create your recipes of roasted vegetables: turnips, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, and celeriac.

Here is a TV segment I did back in 2015 that shows you how easy it is to roast seasonal root vegetables for beautiful, healthy dishes.

CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal TV, NBC affliliate, February, 20, 2015) – Slow roasting root vegetables brings out their natural sweetness. The Organic Gourmet, Leslie Cerier shows us how to make this vegan and gluten-free side dish everyone will love.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
5 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
2 ½ cups peeled and sliced yams or sweet potatoes
2 cups parsnips, sliced
2 cups beets, sliced
1 cup onions, sliced
4 tablespoons Organic Red Palm Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 ½ teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together. Transfer to a covered baking dish and bake for 1 hour for soft and sweet vegetables.