Roasted Root Veggies with Kale (Vegan)
So I’ve been away from home for almost a month, helping my parents downsize from their 5 bedroom house with giant yard, garden and pool, into a 2 bedroom condo. It was sudden and everything fell into place so fast that there was quite a mad dash to get everything sorted into: donation, toss, or pack categories and then you know, actually do all that. After all this there were popcorn ceilings to scrape and re-texture and all the paint, so much paint.
In exchange I was spoiled the whole time, by not having to cook at all. My Mom is quite a maven in the kitchen and has a giant garden so we had plenty of fresh veggies, fruit and berries to enjoy all day long. When I finally got back home and needed to make dinner for my family, I had lost my cooking groove, not to mention my fridge and pantry were pretty bare. I had a few potatoes and beets that needed to be used up, found some carrots in the back of the crisper drawer and a bunch of kale that was begging to be eaten before it was too late. What the heck do I make with these I wondered? I was too tired and too lazy to try and make separate dishes so threw it all together and voila…this new favorite was born.
The contrast of earthy, sweet, and tangy flavors in this dish are surprising yet, very satisfying. If you are someone who thinks they don’t like beets, try this, I think it might just win you over.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- approx 1.5 lbs of baby red potatoes (or any potato cut into bite size pieces)
- 3-4 medium size beets (any variety, I used a mix of golden and red)
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into spears or thick rounds
- 1 large bunch of kale, washed and stems removed
- 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 1 TBSP plum sauce (Mom and I made a large batch of this last year when canning…I’ll post that recipe in a later blog)
- Sea salt and pepper
Directions:
- Prep your veggies: wash everything, peel the beets and carrots, remove stems from the kale leaves, then slice and dice everything into the size you prefer.
- Combine potatoes, beets and carrots in a large bowl and toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, plum sauce and salt and pepper.
- Transfer mixture to a large casserole dish or a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake at 400 °F for 30 mins until the veggies are tender, meanwhile toss kale with 1 Tbsp olive oil and a small sprinkling of sea salt, use your hands and massage the kale to evenly distribute the olive oil and salt.
- Layer the kale on top of the veggies and continue roasting an additional 5 mins, until kale is softened.
Serves 2 adults and a small child as a meal, or 4 adults as a side dish
That’s it. Super easy, fast and delicious!
Spring has arrived! Though it s still cold in many parts of the country. Enough time perhaps to sneak in one more winter recipe? If you still have root vegetables in your fridge looking for a perfect recipe before the spring weather catches up with the calendar, try this one.
Using your hands, tear the canned tomatoes into large pieces as you add them to the pot. Add the remaining liquid from the can into the pot. Stir well. Add the Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cover the pot and let cook gently while the root vegetables are roasting.