I can't believe it's Thanksgiving next week! Whaaattt?
I know I'm not alone feeling like this because so many of us have talked about how it really does feel like the end of the year crept up on us so suddenly. I confess haven't even begun making my grocery list yet but I will as soon as I get this post done. I promise!
However, there's one dish that's absolutely making an appearance on the table this year and it's these wonderful roasted vegetables. First off, just look at the colors! Isn't it absolutely festive and shouts, holidays?
But then lets get to the heart of the matter, it's full of the good stuff - like flavonoid antioxidants when you use purple potatoes. Now I know many times we just walk past these violet colored lovelies in the root veggie aisle. But it's time to stop and pick up a bag. First off, they taste just like regular potatoes except that they're purple. But it's because they're purple that we should be eating more of these.
Our grannies knew what's what when they'd encourage us to eat a plate full of colored veggies because we're hitting all those vitamins and minerals that are good for us. These purple potatoes have the same stuff that's in blueberries - full of antioxidants.
Little disease fitting ninjas if you will!
All all the other veggies just add to what's already a great start - full of nutrition, sweet potatoes, yellow and green squash and onions.
I confess the onions are all about taste, browned to golden sweetness is where the dish gets most of it's incredible flavor.
You really want to arrange your veggies aesthetically in the dish and not dump one color all in one corner...spread it out peeps!
And again don't skimp on the good stuff - olive oil and shredded aged Parmigiano Reggiano or Grano Padano cheese.
How can food made with such good ingredients, be anything but! So while everything else on our Thanksgiving table may induce us into guilt induced spasms, here's one thing we can all feel really good about.
At least that's what I'm going to be telling myself as I shovel the rest of the 20 sin-laden butter crusted dishes on my plate!
Recipe for
Roasted Autumnal Vegetables
Shopping list, serves 4
4 small onions (to yield 2 cups sliced)
2 tbs olive oil for sautéing onions
½ tbs fresh thyme leaves
2 slender zucchini
2 slender yellow squash
1 slender yam, sweet potato
½ lb purple or red baby potatoes
1-1/2 tsp salt
5 tbs olive oil for baking
6 tbs shredded Grano Padano or Parmegiano Reggiano cheese
Also required is a oval or 9” baking dish and Aluminum foil
Preparation:
Preheat the oven at 400 deg F.
Have a baking sheet ready to place the vegetable. Also have handy a separate bowl for the purple potatoes.
Onions: Peel, discard ends and halve. Thinly slice into semi-circles and set aside.
In a pan, heat 2 tbs olive oil on medium high heat.. As soon as it is hot, add the onions and ½ tsp salt. Sauté for 7-10 minutes until softened. Add the thyme leaves and add 1 tbs water. Dislodge all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and sauté until all the water has evaporated. Remove pan from heat.
While the onions are sautéing prepare the other ingredients:
Squash & Zucchini: Cut away and discard the ends. Cut into ¼” circles and place separate on the baking sheet.
Sweet potato/Yam: Peel and cut into slightly thinner than ¼” circles. Set aside on the sheet.
Purple potatoes: Cut into slightly thinner than ¼” circles. Set aside in the bowl.
Cook’s Note: The purple potatoes behave similar to beets so the pigments will stain all the other vegetables. Wash hands before handling the other vegetables.
Method:
Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the baking dish that you will use for vegetables.
Spread ½ the onions at the bottom.
Slightly overlapping, layer ½ the vegetables in a decorative pattern making sure that all the colors are well distributed.
Use the purple potatoes as accents throughout the dish.
Spread ½ of the remaining onions and drizzle 2 tbs olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, 2 tbs cheese all over the vegetables.
Repeat with the remaining vegetables until most if not all the veggies are used up.
Spread the last of the onions and finish with 2 tbs olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, 2 tbs cheese all over the vegetables.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with 2 tbs cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or so until vegetable are brown and the cheese has slightly browned.
Enjoy!
