Root What?

Root Bowl (serves 4)

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 3 or 4 golden beets, with leaves
• 1 red onion
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• Quinoa and/or brown rice, cooked
• Sesame seeds, roasted or black

Cut potatoes and beets into bite-sized cubes. Slice and cut onion and pepper into bite-sized strips. In a bowl, toss potatoes and beets in a drizzle of olive oil and salt & pepper; pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil and roast at 400-425 until done (about 15-20 minutes). Put onion and pepper onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil and put under a broiler (or on a grill) until they begin to char.  Serve in a bowl on top of quinoa and/or rice and garlic greens. Drizzle with Ginger Tahini Dressing. Sprinkle with roasted or black sesame seeds.

Garlic Greens

• 1-2 cloves garlic
• Greens from beets, chopped
• Olive oil

Mince garlic and saute in olive oil for one minute. Add greens. Saute for about 3-4 minutes.

Ginger Tahini Dressing

• 4 T tahini
• 2 T minced ginger
• 2 T tamari
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 T raw honey
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 t sea salt
• 2 T spring water

Mix together.

This is our best interpretation of the Good Roots bowl at City Silo, which is where I had my post-colonoscopy meal (which, as those of you who've had a colonoscopy know, is the best meal that you will have since your last colonoscopy meal). When I tell you that I was not thrilled about eating vegan, I'm not kidding - but this meal helped me to know that I would not die from changing our diet for a while. 

In the kitchen, when we cook together, Dan is the chopper. I hate to chop. I HATE to chop. Yes, I've taken the how-to-chop classes, and yes, we have good knives, but I just don't enjoy the process. So Dan chopped and I cooked. We both had happy bellies after this dinner. And this reheats very well in the microwave.

Wine pairing: Dream on. 

***NOTE: Made this again using red beets, acorn squash, and kale. Yum.