Tummy Time Tuesday: Root Vegetables

Root vegetables are the best models. 

Seriously.  They are knockouts on the runway called a knife. 

They pose elegantly for still shots. 

God was just so creative with some of the things He decided to grow in the earth. 

This recipe is easy . . . but the Hottie claims it took me 45 minutes to cut up all of the vegetables.  (No wonder I don’t seem to get anything done around the house.)

Ingredients

• 1 lb sweet potatoes (cut into 2 inch chunks)
• 1 lb potatoes (cut into 2 inch chunks)
• 2 large carrots (guess what? cut into to 2 inch chunks)
• 2 parsnips (peeled and cut into 1.8 inch chunks)
• 4 turnips (scrubbed and quartered)
• 1 head of garlic (I separated the bulbs and skinned them.  Yes, you will have BAD breath from this dish.)
• sea salt
• rosemary (fresh, if available)
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

Directions

Make sure you have time, a sharp knife, and a good cutting board.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  You can line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Or if you are like me, simply place the chopped root veggies on a well-used stone . . . or plane ol’ cookie sheet.  Actually, a 9x13 glass pan will work.  Simply put, don’t be a slave to the recipe.

Once you have your veggies ready to go, have a party in a bowl with them.  Add the olive oil and sea salt and toss this colorful bounty.  (This would be an excellent time to add dried rosemary if you don’t have fresh rosemary.)

IF you are a prepared chef, after pouring your roots onto the cookie sheet, lay the rosemary springs on top. 

Roast vegetables for 35 minutes or until they are golden brown and soft. 

An artisan loaf and grilled portabella mushrooms accompanied our meal.

Tummy Time: Granola Bars with Almonds and Dates

For an easy and healthy snack, this is the bar for you! 

I like it because I am able to sneak some sprouted almonds into my kiddos diets.  (They don’t like to eat nuts . . . unless the word butter follows the name of the nut.)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup --  that is if you don’t have a hive in your backyard)
• 4 cups uncooked oats
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9x13 pan with coconut oil or butter.  (When I want to do this quickly – I use olive oil – but it kind of reminds me of the smell of a boat dock when I do this.   Don’t ask me why. )

Use a pitch fork or whisk and blend the melted butter and honey together.  I accomplished this task by heating the two ingredients ever so gently on the stove like so . . . .

Pretend you are playing basketball and dribble the liquid mixture into an already tossed oats, almonds, dates and cinnamon.  

Let me tell you about a little secret tool I have in my kitchen.  It’s called a ula knife.  The wood board with concave impression combined with a curved and VERY sharp blade makes chopping herbs, veggies, nuts, and dried fruit super duper easy . . . and fast.  I often prefer my ula knife over a food processor.  (Less to clean up . . . if I have to be honest.)

With some self-control, slightly beat the eggs and then stir them into the oaty (I made that word up) mixture.

Press wet granola into your greased pan.  I found the easiest way to accomplish this uniformly, without using a sledge hammer, was to use the bottom of a measuring cup. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

If you don’t want to burn your taste buds, then allow the bars to cool.  Cut into bars – any size you like!