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OVEN ROASTED ROOTS (Vegan)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking
by Beverly Lynn Bennett & Ray Sammartano
Oven-roasting root vegetables helps bring out their natural sugars. We also added a little vegetable broth, olive oil, and fresh herbs for extra flavor.
Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Serving size: 1 cup
Yield: 6 servings
 

Ingredients
• 3 lb. (about 8 cups) mixed root vegetables such as beet, carrots, parsnips, turnips, or rutabagas
• 6 large garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 3 TB. olive oil
• 2 TB. chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried
• 1 TB. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried, finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 4 TB. balsamic vinegar
 

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large cookie sheet.

2. If using parsnips, turnips, or rutabagas, peel them; beets and carrots can be left unpeeled or peeled as desired. Cut root vegetables into 1½-inch cubes, wedges, or thick 2-inch- long trench fries, and place them in the prepared cookie sheet. Leave garlic cloves whole or slice into large pieces and scatter over cut vegetables.

3. Drizzle vegetable broth and olive oil evenly over vegetables. Sprinkle thyme and rosemary over vegetables, and season with salt and black pepper. Using your hands, toss vegetable mixture until evenly coated, and spread out to form a single layer.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir with a spatula, and spread out into a single layer. Bake for 10 to 20 more minutes (depending on how vegetables are cut) or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned around the edges.

5. Remove from the oven. Taste and add additional salt and black pepper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar over vegetables, stir well to combine, taste, and add additional vinegar as desired. Serve hot.

Variation: Feel free to sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes over the vegetables prior to roasting to give them a slightly cheesy flavor. Or omit the final balsamic vinegar garnishing at the end, roughly mash the roasted roots with a little vegetable broth and nutritional yeast flakes, and serve them in place of mashed potatoes.

Thyme-ly Tip: If you have any leftover roasted roots, add them to soups or stews, or combine them with cooked greens.