Root vegetables are easy to grow and have many health benefits. What are some of the more popular varieties? Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Parsnips, Onions and Shallots, Radishes, Sweet potatoes and Yams. All hearty, healthy, and a great addition to many recipes.
Would you believe that there are other varieties as well that you may not know about? What about Celery Root, Skirret, Oca, Chinese Artichoke, Parsley Root, Daikon, Salsify, and Jerusalem Artichoke? Watch for upcoming articles and recipes as we delve deeper into the mysteries of root vegetables.
Healthy Roots
What health benefits can you get from root vegetables? Well, there is Fiber and Carbohydrates of course.
But you can also get Vitamin A to boost your immune system, as well as the B Vitamins, which are good for healthy cells including the growth of red blood cells, energy levels, eyesight, brain function, and digestion.
Antioxidants reduce the risk of many diseases by scavenging the body of free radicals and reducing the damage caused by oxidation in the cells.
Folate helps cell growth, including in red blood cells, as well as preventing or treating anemia.
Manganese helps in digestion by helping to break down proteins, carbs, and cholesterol so that our bodies can absorb what is needed.
All in all, root veggies help improve digestion as well as help with blood sugar management, and fighting inflammation, they help boost immunity and can help with weight loss.
So many benefits. So why don’t we eat more of them, other than potatoes, of course? I really have no idea. There are so many ways to fix them and they are so easy to grow. Add the common varieties to soups or vegetable blends. Many can be mashed like mashed potatoes. Have you ever had mashed sweet potato or mashed yam? Mmmm. That is so good with a little butter and salt and, again, so healthy.
How about roasting them? That is one of our favorite ways to eat them, and that is the recipe I am going to provide for you here now.
Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetables
- 4 baby red potato
- 4 baby Yukon potato
- 2 carrots large
- 1 turnip
- 1 rutabaga
- 1 yam small
- 1 yellow onion small
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbs olive oil
- smoked paprika
- sea salt
- ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Place foil over a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray (you don’t need to use foil if you prefer not to)
- Chunk all of the root veggies into about 1-inch pieces. Don’t make them too large or they take longer to cook.
- Cut the onion into quarters, breaking the layers apart into separate pieces.
- Mince the garlic.
- Place all prepared ingredients into a large bowl with a lid. Sprinkle with generous amounts of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste. Smoked paprika is spicy, so please use according to your taste preference. I use about 1 teaspoon for this amount, we like a little kick.
- Add olive oil to the bowl as well.
- Put the lid on and shake coating all of the veggies with the oil and seasonings.
- Spread on the baking sheet evenly.
- Roast for 25 minutes or until carrots are fork-tender. Check after 15 minutes and stir if needed to keep onions from burning.
- Remove from oven and serve hot.
Notes:
- You can serve with your favorite cream dressing if you like. My husband loves to eat this dish with Ranch.
- Often, we will add bell pepper or pablano pepper, diced, to this recipe. Watch and stir to prevent the onions and peppers from burning.
- This recipe is amazing on the BBQ or in the air fryer.
- For the BBQ, place the finished recipe ingredients in a BBQ pan with air vent holes for the smoky flavor to get through or in a BBQ basket. Roast for about 20 minutes stirring/tossing as needed.
- You would do the same in an air fryer. If you have a rotisserie basket, this recipe turns out amazing.
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