Time for a root veg medley

IT’S root veg season so I have been experimenting with healthy cooking ideas to optimise the vitamin content of these lovely root vegetables.

I have used some of my favourites, but you could use any veg really, they are all a valuable and colourful addition to your Sunday roast.

This recipe serves four.

Ingredients:

Where possible always choose organic:

3 large baking potatoes or sweet potatoes

2 garlic bulbs

2 organic carrots

2 parsnips

3 courgettes

1 red onion

2 beetroots

200g sprouts

1 tbsp fennel seeds

4 sprigs of rosemary

4 sprigs of thyme

Extra virgin olive oil and sea salt 100g cavolo nero kale leaves

50g pumpkin seeds

You’ll need a large roasting tray.

Method:

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Scrub, dry and prick the baking potatoes and microwave for around seven minutes to slightly soften, then slice each one vertically into four slices.

Wash and scrape the carrots, parsnips and courgettes before cutting each vertically into quarters.

Remove the skin and root from the onion, and scrub the beetroots, cut both vegetables in half vertically from top to root and then cut each half into quarters.

Remove the outer leaves and ends from the sprouts and cut each in half, also vertically.

Remove the outer skin from the garlic bulbs and slice horizontally across the middle.

Gather all the prepared vegetables, including the potatoes, and arrange onto the roasting tray.

Scatter the herbs over and glug olive oil over the top, season well.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, remove the centre stalk from the kale leaves and rub a little olive oil and salt onto each and add to the baking tray, scatter the pumpkin seeds over the vegetables and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Chef ’s note:

Root vegetables are antioxidant rich and packed with potassium, carotene, minerals, vitamins and NSP dietary fibre, plus they are low in calories too, and cooking them this way will help maintain these valuable nutrients.

Lesley is studying a nutrition & health degree at Edge Hill University, she and her husband, Roberto, own Roberto’s Italian on Ocean Plaza, Southport.

For more of her recipes find her on Twitter: @LYatesNutrition and Roberto’s: Facebook.com/