Mashed Root Vegetables (Potato, Rutabaga, Parsnip) with Rosemary

Hello hello! Sorry it's been several days between posts. Whoops! This is a tasty side dish recipe that involves very yummy, healthy root veggies that are abundant this time of year. During our last week of our CSA at the end of October, we got a rutabaga! My first ever :) I was debating what to do with it and decided it might be fun to mash it! So I did. I combined it with a parsnip and a couple potatoes...all from our CSA. I kind of just flew by the seat of my pants with this recipe, so the approximate measurements are listed below for you. I feel like this is the kind of recipe that you can make to your own taste, adding a bit more butter or milk (or whatever!) to your liking.

Ingredients:

-1 parsnip

-2 small potatoes

-1 rutabaga

-2 or so Tbsp. of butter

-salt and pepper to taste

-1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)

-a few sprigs of fresh rosemary

Instructions:

Peel veggies and cut into small cubes/chunks. I probably ended up with 2.5 to 3 cups of veggies (I actually only used about 2/3 of the rutabaga). Place root veggies in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return veggies to a large bowl. Add the butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Beat until light and fluffy, or mash with a masher or fork. Stir in fresh rosemary (or other herbs of your choice!).

I'm sorry I didn't take any more appetizing photos. I forgot to take any more than just these! I didn't feel like using an electric mixer to beat the root veggies, and I don't have a masher...so I just used an old-fashioned fork. That led to some lumps in mine, but I didn't mind. I actually liked the texture. ;-) I am not actually sure if I've ever had rutabaga before now! I did like it, and I'd definitely make this dish again. I roasted the remaining 1/3 of the rutabaga that I didn't put in this dish. That was tasty too!

Lesson learned here = I ♥ rutabaga. :)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This fall I have become obsessed with sweet potatoes... Now, don't get me wrong, this is not a new obsession; I've always loved them, but I got into the habit this fall (and now this winter) of roasting them at least a couple times a week! They're such an easy, delicious, and healthy veggie to add to a meal.

Since I am so used to blogging about the desserts I bake, it didn't really occur to me right away that I could really blog about anything I bake, dessert or not! I only took a couple pictures tonight as I roasted some sweet potatoes...a routine that has become rather regular for me. Sweet potatoes can be a pain to cut up, but I've gotten pretty used to it and it doesn't bother me too much.

Here is a picture of the potatoes I made tonight, just before I put them in the oven.

I like to experiment with how I season the potatoes and in which form I bake them as well... For instance, sometimes I bake the sweet potatoes whole (with some holes poked in them, of course!). Other times I may cut them up into smaller cubes (maybe 1/2 to 1 inch in size), and I've also made sweet potato fries too. Some of my favorite seasonings include garlic, chili powder, and rosemary. The possibilities are endless really! ;-) Tonight I baked them in what I think is the simplest way...cut into the smaller cubes, drizzled with some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, of course!), and sprinkled with chili powder and garlic powder. Every now and then I just make sweet potatoes as my meal! I've also taken a liking to adding roasted SP's :) as another yummy veggie on my salads.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I generally bake them anywhere between 400 and 450 degrees...and for the whole potatoes, depending on the size, they may take 45 - 60 minutes. The smaller pieces usually take 20 - 25 minutes until they're just the right texture. Deeeelish and healthful! Enjoy! :)