I know that the cold weather is on its way out (it was 60 degrees in DC today) and usually roasted root vegetables are considered winter fare but I was just in the mood for this the other night. Well, to be exact I was in the mood for D to make this — he volunteered to help with dinner (which I’m sure he quickly regretted once he saw how many vegetables he had to peel and chop). And we’ve been trying to have more vegetarian meals after having watched numerous food nutrition documentaries which essentially flat out state that animal products are evil. While this recipe isn’t exactly vegan (it could be) it’s still better than having steak for dinner.
I originally wanted to sprinkle the roasted veggies with parsley and gorgonzola but I didn’t have any on hand, so I went with an alternative – basil and feta. You have to get the good feta though. None of those Athenos feta crumbles which we’ve been tricked into thinking is real feta. So far I’ve found the Mt Vikos brand to be the closest to the delicious feta we had in Greece. Be ready to fork over a few more dollars per pound – but it’s worth it for the higher quality product. The key to this recipe is to chop the veggies to be the same size. Doesn’t matter how you chop them – squares, rectangles, strips, just make sure you don’t have a piece of butternut squash the size of your palm roasting next to a carrot slice the size of your finger.
- 3-4 shallots, peeled and quartered
- ½-1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- olive oil (a few tablespoons)
- salt and pepper
- rosemary (fresh or dried)
- handful of basil, slivered
- 2-3 ounces feta, chopped
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl toss butternut squash, shallots, carrots and parsnips with the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary.
- Place vegetables on baking trays in single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, check, move vegetables around and bake for another 20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
- Sprinkle fresh basil and feta on top.
Welcome to Avocado Pesto! Long time foodie and travel enthusiast, I started this blog to share my curious culinary efforts and kitchen endeavors. Here you'll find a smorgasbord of ethnic cuisines and hopefully a few humorous tales too.
Julia Child’s Brandade á la Soissonaise (White Bean Dip) for #Sunday Supper #cookforjulia 
Vegan Zucchini Saute and My First Blog Giveaway! 
Raw Green Vegan Collard Wraps 
Blueberry Banana Smoothie for Secret Recipe Club 
Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecake and my Travel Plans Revealed 
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a great idea for our lent fridays where we can’t eat meat. Thank you !
ratedkb.blogspot.com
That improvisation looks great to me
I like the basil + feta combination!
Did D get tired of chopping vegetables?
He sure did!
{ 3 trackbacks }