In our house we love oven roasted veg. In particular we love beautifully caramelized, oven roasted root vegetables! Both Bear and Lion will eat an adult size portion of these lovely slightly sweet, slightly earthy, & delightfully seasoned beauties. So today when I asked Lion what we should make for dinner I wasn’t at all surprised he wanted sweet potatoes. In the past we have made traditional orange and white sweet potatoes which are found readily in our local market year round; but this week we found these deep purple sweet potatoes and rainbow carrots on sale and we simply couldn’t resist giving them a try! The consensus…they are great! Not as sweet as the orange variety, but still sweet on the finish – and they paired very well with our savory spice mixture we went with today!

The rainbow carrots we picked up ended up taking longer to cook through then we anticipated – but their flavor was killer! A cross between a traditional orange carrot and a parsnip – both of my Wee Lairds liked them both raw and cooked! In fact I was happy to see any made their way into the oven with the potatoes as they kept picking them off the cookie sheet and eating them while we were preparing things.

As we are starting a new year – and subsequently feel the need to evaluate our lives and eating habits along with the rest of the world – we are trying to focus on healthy habits. Delicious home made meals with whole foods/minimally processed foods that serve to strengthen the mind and body. With that in mind we were happy to find this family favorite fits right into that category! In fact – for anyone who is reading The Blue Zone Solution or who is interested in the eating habits of the worlds longest lived people – you’ll be happy to know this little recipe with its vibrant purple potatoes fits the Blue Zones menu quiet nicely!

So without further ado – we hope you have enjoyed our little video, hope you are inspired to make or try some lovely roasted root veg, and wish you all a happy and healthy new year ahead. Happy Cooking from all of us here at the Wee Lairds Kitchen.

Roasted Purple Sweet Potatoes and Rainbow Carrots (Or any Root Veg!)

• 2 medium purple sweet potatoes peeled and diced
• 3-5 medium carrots peeled
• Olive oil
• Spice mixture of your liking (we really love Penzys Curry Now seasoning with a bit of sea salt over the top! Unfortunately we were all out so we opened the cabinet and made our own curry mix today. Mild Curry, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, sea salt, & pepper).

Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel and dice all veg to roughly equal size to facilitate even cooking. Toss with olive oil and spices. Place on a cooking sheet and sprinkle with salt to taste. Roast for 60-90min or until veg is fork tender and caramelized. Serve warm alongside your main dish!

Tonight we served these curried potatoes and carrots alongside chicken (which we sprinkled with the same spice mixture), jasmine rice and a simple tomato and onion masala sauce. The Wee Lairds loved it – and so did my husband and I! While we super love this recipe with curry it also works beautifully with other blends as well. For a sweet side dish alongside a warm pumpkin soup or braised meat – try a mixture of cinnamon, clove, anise, and ginger. Add in some raisins and drizzle with a bit of orange blossom honey right before serving and you’re set on a delightfully sweet retreat! For a hearty blend along side a bean dish center or a beef roast – try thyme, pepper, rosemary, cumin, garlic, and salt. Or if you’re looking for simple and simply delicious – leave out all the fancy spices and simply roast with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of salt. These veg stand on their own two feet beautifully!

**If you try this or any of our recipes, please feel free to leave us a note and tell us how things went! With love from our kitchen to yours – Happy Cooking!