When you think about healthy eating, salads and green vegetables usually come to mind. But how about adding a little more variety to your plan?

Roots like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them.

WHY EAT MORE ROOT VEGGIES?

Long roots – carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish – are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body. Round roots – turnips, radishes, beets, and rutabagas – nourish the stomach, spleen, pancreas, and reproductive organs.

Back to basics with hearty roasted roots!  Amazingly delicious tossed with fresh herbs and roasted to a sweet perfection. Serve as a side to your main thoroughfare or use to accent a salad, quinoa or brown rice.

Roasted Roots & Fresh Herbs

Ingredients
5 carrots
2 small thin parsnips
1 turnip
½ red onion
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves
4 whole garlic cloves, smashed or minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch ground pepper
Garnish with fresh thyme, rosemary or sage sprigs

Directions
Cut the ends off carrots, parsnips and turnip, and cut each in half and then lengthwise once or twice until you have ½ inch match sticks. Cut onion into desired pieces. Place vegetables and all other ingredients into a large bowl and coat with olive oil.
Place roots and herbs, except onion, onto a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven at 425 for 40 – 45 minutes, tossing once or twice while roasting. Add onions to the roasting roots during the last 10 – 15 minutes. The onions will caramelize and blacken if cooked too long, so keep an eye on those pups.

Recipe from GREEN AISLE’S HEALTHY INDULGENCE!