The Perfect Veggie Roast for Meatless Monday
I was participating in my weekly #foodiechats* when I tweeted:
“Purple sweet potatoes make far superior fries…”
with this picture:
I was referring to my totally awesome batch of BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES that I make in the beginning of the week and use throughout (on salads, as a side, as a snack, etc). To my surprise (I mean, I WAS tweeting with a bunch of self-proclaimed FOODIES), I received many tweets back from people saying they’d NEVER heard of PURPLE sweet potatoes!!
Now I understand that they’re not as common as orange taters, but COME ON PEOPLE! Get in the produce game! 
There’s purple cauliflower…corn…carrots…string beans…even bell peppers!
AND they look like a work of ART:
Even better, analyses of purple vegetables have shown them to be MORE nutritious than some other varieties in the crayon box!
Why? They contain more PHYTONUTRIENTS than their less exciting-colored counterparts and get their blueish-purple pigment from ANTHOCYANINS (a flavonoid, type of polyphenol, and antioxidant).
…no wonder violet-hued veggies were once saved for royalty! (true statement!)
In fact, many purple vegetables are found to have TWICE the antioxidant power of blueberries, which helps our bodies fight free radicals (cancer-causing toxins), prevent inflammation (fighting high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and dementia) and even have a positive effect on blood sugar levels! SCORE!
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Fall is the best season to PERFECT your roasted ROOTS (and tubers!) because there’s quite the assortment IN SEASON (and produce is more nutritious and tastier when purchased in season!). Plus, the fresh herbs used in the recipe below add a woody feel (in a good way!), perfect for this chilly time of year!
This recipe is inspired by a recipe I made in my food science lab earlier this semester….and I’ve been dreaming of them ever since! Here’s What I Learned In School:
- “Roasting” is defined as cooking in the oven OVER 375ºF. Below this temperature is considered “baking.”
- Root vegetables absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Carrots, parsnips, radishes, and beets are all root vegetables.
- Tubers are underground stems, but we often treat them like root vegetables. Examples of tubers are potatoes and ginger.
- A darker coated cookie sheet, will result in a browner, crisper crust on your roasted veggies and take less time to cook because the darker color absorbs more heat (than a light or shiny pan).
- Parsnips are carrot’s forgotten cousin! They make a delicious swap for potato fries and are packed with folate, fiber, and vitamin K.
Let’s get roasting…
Ingredients:
- 1 large purple sweet potato or 2 smaller purple potatoes, diced
- 1 large orange sweet potato, diced
- 1 rutabaga, peeled, diced.
- 2 parsnips, diced
- 2 springs of thyme, leaves picked
- 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
- 2 sprigs of parsley, chopped
- ½-1 tsp chili powder (feel free to add more if you like spice!)
- ½ tsp black pepper, or to taste
- ¼ tsp granulated garlic
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil to coat (not soak!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Prepare vegetables (dice and chop) and combine in a large bowl. Add herbs and spices then toss well. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat all vegetables lightly, but not drench (probably 2-3 tablespoons).
(I find it easiest to mix with clean hands.)
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and transfer vegetables in a single layer. Be sure NOT to overcrowd veggies (If you overcrowd, you’ll steam the vegetables, and not achieve the browning effect you want.).
Place vegetables in oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes. I prefer to rotate the pan mid-way through cooking and even turn vegetables with a fork for evenness and perfect browning (but this is not required). 
Serve warm or toss leftovers in with your salad for lunch the next day!
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*If you don’t know about #FoodieChats, listen up! It’s a twitter convo every Monday at 8pm Eastern/7 C all about FOOD! Not always health-focused (although last week’s conversation was about a #vegan diet) and everyone is welcome! Follow founder @steveGOgreen on twitter or @FoodieChats (or me @ChelsAmer) and don’t forget to follow the hashtag #foodiechats on Monday nights! Join the convo & see what all the fun’s about!
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