Now that you know all of the health benefits of roasted root veggies from Tuesday’s blog, I’ve heard that that you’re ready for some root veggie recipes!
I made this incredible root veggie salad for my family, and was blown away that they couldn’t identify those amazing golden-brown veggies…parsnips, AKA nature’s candy! Do you ever crave the comfort of potatoes, but fear the inevitable sugar crash that follows? Well, these roasted sunchokes and parsnips bring you all of the comfort, but spare you the crash!
These are very nutrient-rich veggies which offer inulin, which stimulates healthy prebiotic activity, B & C vitamins, magnesium, and a whopping dose of iron, comparable to that found in meat!
In this dish, the earthy roasted veggies are balanced by the refreshing zest of citrus and ginger in the beet-dressing. I chose iron-rich kale as the base of this salad, avocado for a creamy touch, and pomegranate and toasted pumpkin seeds for extra crunch.
Roasted Root Veggie Salad with Beet-Ginger Dressing
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Salad:
2 Jerusalem artichokes
3 parsnips
2 shallots
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 cup toasted raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 bunch curly kale
3 T olive oil
Dressing:
4 cooked beets, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T minced ginger
1/4 tsp sea salt, or more to taste
Directions:
Wash, peel, and slice Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips into 1/4 inch rounds. Toss in 2 T olive oil and sea salt. Roast on second level oven rack at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Meanwhile, slice shallots and cook in 1 T olive oil on low heat until caramelized.
Allow Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, and shallots to cool while you prepare the dressing. Combine diced beets, garlic, ginger, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, and sea salt in your Vitamix or blender. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Massage kale with dressing and let sit five minutes to soften. Before plating, toast pumpkin seeds. Top kale with roasted veggies, caramelized shallots, avocado, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle additional dressing to taste.
