Eating cooked root vegetables is a treat at the end of a long day! Along with innumerable nutritional benefits these recipes go on to offer, they also help us sleep soundly and optimize one’s mood the next morning.
Women Fitness brings you five excellent recipes to try in your kitchen.
Crockpot Bulgogi Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 2 20 oz cans young green jackfruit in brine, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup tamari
- ¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
- ½ cup agave nectar maple syrup, or honey
- 1 cup white wine or mirin
- 2 tablespoons fresh peeled ginger minced
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion peeled and sliced
- 1 green pear cored and chopped
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Place the jackfruit in a crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours.
- Turn the heat to high and cook for another hour to help absorb any remaining liquid.
- Use a firm spatula to break apart the jackfruit into pieces. It should break apart easily at this point.
Alternative method: Place all ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, until all the liquid is absorbed, and the jackfruit is tender. You should be able to easily break apart the jackfruit into stringy pieces.
Credit: Marly McMillen, a vegan home chef, trained at Rouxbe Culinary School
Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Crispy, Thick-cut Bacon
Ingredients
- 5 slices thick cut bacon
- 3-4 Tbsp oil OR bacon grease
- 1 onion
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 – 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 1/2 c almond milk
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 24 oz gnocchi
- Optional: parmesan cheese and/or crispy sage for topping
Instructions
- Cook bacon, reserving the bacon grease. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When cooled, crumble or chop.
- Set a pot of water on the stove to boil.
- Dice onion and cook in 3-4 Tbsp bacon grease over medium heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onions are a caramelly brown color. Mince garlic and add it to the skillet with the onion cooking for just 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the pumpkin, almond milk and spices to the skillet and whisk until thoroughly combined. Simmer over medium-low heat until the gnocchi is cooked.
- When the water is boiling, cook the gnocchi per package directions.
- Drain the gnocchi, reserving 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid.
- Add gnocchi to the skillet with the sauce and toss to coat. Add in as much of the reserved pasta water as needed to make the sauce a creamy consistency that coats the gnocchi. Add back in the chopped / crumbled bacon and serve. Top with cheese and crispy sage if desired.
- For an extra crunch on top, fry the sage leaves. Add oil to a skillet to ½ inch depth. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until you can shake a few drops of water into the skillet and they sizzle and pop. Add your sage leaves to the hot oil in the skillet and allow to fry for ~1 min or until they have deepened in color, but not burned. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel and top your gnocchi with these little crunchy flavor-bombs.
Credit: Home “Chef”: Liz Alvarez with Building Our Rez
Purple Sweet Potato and Parsley Root Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 large purple sweet potatoes, sliced in half
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 knob ginger, pureed
- 2 parsley roots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- white pepper, sprinkle
- 4 cups, vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup of Anita’s coconut yogurt or coconut milk (cream)
- tablespoon, pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Roast Sweet Potatoes for 30 minutes at 350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Rub 1 tbsp of olive oil over the sweet potatoes and place the potatoes cut side down on baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F or until soft.
- Sauté Shallots, Parsley Root, Herbs and Spices While potatoes are baking, place the remainder of the olive oil in a medium soup pot. Sauté the shallot for 2 minutes or until fragrant and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, parsley root, cumin, salt, and pepper over medium heat for 3 more minutes. Add 2 cups of broth and stir over medium low heat to soften the parsley root, about 7 minutes.
- Skin and Puree the Sweet Potato Remove baked potatoes from over. Let cool so you can peel potato skins. Add baked sweet potato flesh to the soup pot. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender or food processor. Transfer the puree into the pot and add remaining broth. Simmer gently for another 5 minutes. Top with coconut yogurt (or cream), pomegranate and serve
Credit: Summer Rayne Oakes, Certified Holistic Nutritionist & Author of SUGARDETOXME (Sterling Epicure, 2017) & Contributor to the forthcoming book Models Do Eat (BenBella Books, Feb 2019)
Papas Bravas
Ingredients
- Russet, Fingerling, Red Bliss Potatoes
- Paprika
- Onion
- Garlic
- Whole Cardamom
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Cayenne Pepper
- Cinnamon
- Salt & Pepper
- Sour Cream
- Broccolini
- Cilantro
- Parsley Shallots
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Cube potatoes (new, russet, fingerling) and soak in water for 24 hours. Then, roast at 375 degrees with olive oil, salt & pepper.
- Make spice blend: paprika, onion, garlic, whole cardamom, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt & pepper.
- Make chimichurri: mix together chopped broccolini, cilantro, parsley shallots, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice.
- Toss potatoes in spices while pan is still hot from the oven. Then place in cast iron dotted with sour cream and drizzled with the fresh chimichurri.
Credit: Chef Paddy Adolfi of The Hill Restaurant in Serenbe, GA
Chocolate Beetroot Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 medium beetroot
- 1 cup beetroot liquid
- 1 banana
- 1 cup coconut cream OR heavy cream
- 1 cup Almond meal
- 1 cup gluten free self-rising flour OR self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1 cup coconut sugar OR sugar
- 1/3 cup of coconut butter OR melted butter OR oil
Ganache (optional)
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 1 cup of coconut cream OR heavy cream
- Coconut flakes toast lightly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius)
- Prepare 9×9 inches (23 x 23 cm) baking dish with non-stick spray
- Peel & quarter beetroot, boil until soft
- Keep a cup of the liquid from the pot used to boil the beets
- Combine all wet ingredients (beet root, banana, melted butter OR oil, cream) with ½ cup of sugar; blend until smooth. Batter with will be thick.
- Then combine the dry ingredients by sifting flour and combining with cocoa, almond meal, and the remaining ½ cup of sugar. Mix well.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix until well combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish, place in oven for 35 minutes
- Let cake cool completely before removing pan to avoid breaking
For chocolate ganache
- Melt dark chocolate with coconut cream
- Allow mixture to cool before pouring on top of cake
- Sprinkle with coconut flakes or toasted almonds
Credit: Women’s Tennis Associations (WTA) Sport Sciences and Medicine team, approved by WTA Medical Advisor, Susie Parker-Simmons, RD
Sweet Potato Beet Buddha Bowl With Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes and Beets:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
- 2 medium beets, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced (or sub 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced (or sub 1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Kale:
- 2-3 stems kale, destemmed and chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- three-finger pinch sea salt
Black Beans:
- 1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Oil-Free Pistachio Pesto:
- 1 cup fresh basil, packed
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the chopped beets and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add in 2 tsp olive oil, herbs, and salt/pepper to taste. Mix until well combined.*
- Line two baking pans, each with a piece of parchment paper. Add half the mixture to one pan and half to the other. Place in oven and roast for 35 minutes, flipping halfway.**
- As the veggies roast, prepare the pesto by adding all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process (or blend) until most large chunks are dissolved (nut-based pesto sauces are chunkier than the original, so small chunks are fine). Once processed, store in fridge until the veggies are ready.
- Add chopped kale to a medium sized bowl. Coat with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, and a three-finger pinch of sea salt. Massage the kale for 30s to soften and mix evenly with seasonins. Store in fridge until you construct your bowl.
- Once the veggies are done, create your bowl by adding in sweet potatoes and beets, black beans, kale, and top with a generous serving of pistachio pesto. Enjoy!
* If you prefer to bake sweet potatoes and beets separately, simply divide the olive oil and seasonings in half, and mix in separate bowls.
**If you only have one baking pan available, you can still make this recipe work. Although you may need to bake slightly longer.
Credit: Scotty, Founder of plantbasedscotty.com
Radish & Scallion Paratha or Flatbread
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (optional)
- 5-8 red radishes, fresh grated
- 2 stems scallions or green onion, finely sliced
- 3 cups atta (stone-ground durum whole wheat flour), sifted, plus extra for dredging
- ¼ cup unflavored Greek yogurt
- Salt, to taste
- 4 tbsp ghee, melted
Instructions
Method: Dough
In a large bowl combine the cumin seeds, ginger paste, garlic paste, cayenne pepper powder, black pepper, and grated radishes and scallions. Add the flour and salt and mix well until any water is absorbed. Add a few tablespoons of yogurt at a time, and knead a little each time before adding more yogurt. The finished dough should be firm but not hard, moist but not wet, and slightly firmer than modeling clay. It may be slightly sticky. Cover until ready to roll.
Method: To Roll
- Divide the dough into golf-ball-sized pieces. Using the palms of your hands, roll each piece into a smooth ball and lightly flatten to make 1″ diskettes. Keep covered to avoid drying.
- Roll these out similar to rolling a tortilla (or use a tortilla press) without dredging in the flour after the first dredge. As you begin, dredge only the diskette you are going to roll in the dry flour and dust off any excess. Work on a flat, dry rolling surface. Using a tapered rolling pin, gently roll out the dough using light pressure from your fingers (not the palm) to spread the dough. Roll outwards but not over the edge, until it is about 6” in diameter. Lightly dust off the finished uncooked paratha.
Method: To Cook
- To cook, heat a shallow nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and transfer the rolled uncooked paratha to it. The dough will bubble slightly. Move it around in the pan without flipping it over to so that all parts of the paratha cook evenly.
- Approximately 1 minute later, turn it over. The first side should be lightly spotted but not have dark spots. If you see dark spots, reduce the heat. Repeat on the second side. At this time, lightly baste the top of the paratha with ghee, flip over, baste the second side, and cook both sides until they begin to show tan-brown spots.
- Both sides should have ghee, and be cooked once without ghee and once with ghee, and there should be no doughy spots. Remove from heat and cover with a paper towel or a colander to let the steam evaporate. Lightly wipe down the pan to remove any burnt flour or excess ghee before starting on the next one.
- Once they have come to room temperature, the paratha’s can be transferred to an appropriate storage container and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. To warm them, wrap them as a stack in foil and place in a warm oven for 20 minutes, or warm individually on the griddle.
Credit: Nandita Godbole, Author of upcoming book “Roti: Easy Indian Breads & Sides, Second Edition” 2019