Roasted Root Vegetables

[TotallyOz]

We have made this every week now for a month and LOVE it. It is nutritious and delicious. We server it with BBQ chicken strips for a balance of protein.

Ingredients

2 pounds root vegetables (use potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, beets), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch wedges

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

Chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, or balsamic vinegar (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the root vegetables and onion in a roasting pan.

2. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt to taste. Do not crowd the vegetables.

3. Roast the mixture for a total of 45-50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, scatter the garlic cloves in with the vegetables. Continue stirring every 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and evenly browned.

4. Before serving, add a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs or balsamic vinegar, if you like for additional flavor.

Food as Medicine

All root vegetables contain healthful fiber and slow-digesting carbohydrates, but beets have some special properties. Unlike most other red vegetables, which have anthocyanins to thank for their distinctive color (think red cabbage), beets derive their hue from pigments called betalains, which range in color from red-violet to yellow. Betalains, in addition to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, trigger a family of enzymes that binds toxic substances in cells, neutralizing and allowing them to be excreted from the body. Garlic's health benefits, many of which come from its sulfur compounds, are widely documented. Some of these sulfur-containing molecules, polysulfides, are converted by red blood cells into hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which dilates the blood vessels, helping to regulate blood pressure.

Serves 6

Nutrients Per Serving

Calories: 108.5

Protein: 2.7 grams

Fat: 2.5 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.4 grams

Monounsat Fat: 1.7 grams

Polyunsat Fat: 0.3 grams

Carbohydrate: 20.1 grams

Fiber: 4.1 grams

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Vitamin A: 10,866. IU

Vitamin E: 0.7 mg/IU

Vitamin C: 24.6 mg

Calcium: 47.4 mg

Magnesium: 33.7 mg

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/RCP00221/roasted-root-vegetables.html

[ihpguy]

I personally slice my veggies(including zucchini) thinner than that.

Also, take one or two extra heads of garlic and slice off the very top and place bottom-side down in the pan from the beginning. The garlic makes a great spread for some bread. With or without more EVOO.

Sea salt/kosher salt is what I use as opposed to the regular table salt. I can't remember what I read as to why, just that it was recommended.

[Guest FourAces]

2. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt to taste. Do not crowd the vegetables.

OK you guys stand back lets give these tasty suckers some room to breath before we chop them down. How would you feel if you were claustrophobic .. come on move back