Spicy Parsnip Wedges

If you like your parsnips a little spicier than the Garlic and Thyme recipe I posted earlier, then this recipe is for you. This recipe comes from the Paleo recipe sharing site FastPaleo. You can find just about any kind of Paleo food you want over there and upload your own recipes to share. These are great when you want to add a little spice to your life (or dinner) because you can make them as spicy or as mild as you want just by altering the amount of cayenne pepper you add.

Ingredients:

• 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Put the wedges in a bowl, pour over the coconut oil & stir until they are well coated.
2. Sprinkle over the rest of the ingredients and give it a final stir (I find it’s easier just to throw everything into a resealable bag & massage the oil & spices into the parsnips)
3. Transfer to a greased or lined baking tray (Parchment paper is your friend here)
4. Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes until they are soft & nicely golden (I like them a little burnt & crispy)

Direct link to recipe: Spicy Parsnip Wedges

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Parsnips

This is my go-to recipe when I need a quick, easy vegetable dish. I have also added carrots, onions, turnips & squash and they all turn out fantastic. This recipe is from a young lady named Jess at Best-Veg. She has some great vegetarian recipes. I can’t remember how I stumbled on to her blog, but I’m glad I found it.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds parsnips, peeled (I found out the hard way, parsnips do NOT taste good if they are not peeled)
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 Tbsp good olive oil
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F
2. Place the parsnips, garlic and thyme on a sheet pan
3. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well (I usually throw them all into a large resealable bag and massage everything together)
4. Roast for 20 to 40 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the parsnips are just tender 
5. Sprinkle with salt

Direct link to recipe: Roasted Parsnips

Paleo Roasted Artichokes with Garlic and Lemon

Oh my goodness, these are so, so good! If you want something different from your boring old steamed/boiled artichokes, try these; I promise you won’t regret it! This recipe comes from Amy over at Paleo Cupboard, full link at the bottom of the page. Not only does she have tips and tricks if you are just starting on your Paleo journey, but she also lists her favorite products that she uses & where to buy them.  She has the most beautiful food  (and it tastes great too).

Ingredients:

• 2 artichokes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 fresh lemon (I used a lime because we have a lime tree that is producing like crazy)
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• Dash sea salt
• Dash black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F
2. Cut the stems and the top portion off of the artichoke (about the top inch or two). Make sure to cut the stems straight across so the artichokes can stand up on their own
3. Spread the artichoke leaves apart and trim off any pointy leaf ends (I used kitchen scissors to make it easier)
4. Pour the olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and chopped garlic over the artichokes, making sure everything gets between the leaves. Give each artichoke a dash or two of sea salt & ground black pepper
5. Wrap each artichoke individually in aluminum foil and set them in a baking dish. Place them in the oven and allow them to cook for 1 hour (add about 15 minutes more for larger artichokes)
6. Remove from the oven and allow the artichokes to cool slightly. Carefully remove the aluminum foil. Serve with some extra lemon wedges and/or your favorite dipping sauce

Direct link to recipe: Roasted Artichokes

Paleo Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Gratin

The official name of this is printed above, but my name for it is “Heaven on a Plate”. Everyone that has tried this has agreed with me, so maybe I should write Juli at paleomg.com and suggest she change the name. I think she would totally go for it. Anyway, this is another one of my absolute favorite vegetable recipes. It does take some time, so be patient; it is well worth the wait.

Ingredients

1. 2 sweet potatoes, sliced thin (best way is to use a food processor or mandoline type slicer)
2. 1 yellow onion, sliced thin (see above for best way to slice this also)
3. 1/4 cup almond meal
4. 1 can coconut milk
5. 4 tablespoons coconut butter
6. 4 tablespoons almond butter
7. 2 tablespoons agave (or honey)
8. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
9. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10. Salt and pepper, to taste
11. Enough bacon to cover the top OR cook and put inside

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
2. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with whatever kind of fat you’d like. (Her note is that she used bacon fat because she is incredibly intelligent but you can do what you want.)
3. Thinly slice your sweet potatoes and onions.
4. Now you’re going to start the layering process. Start layering the sweet potatoes in lines so you can’t see the bottom of the dish. Then layer with a little onion and a little almond meal. No need to pile it on, you’ll have many layers to go.
5. Keep on layering until all your sweet potatoes are gone.
6. Now make the saucey sauce. Pull out a saucepan and put over medium heat.
7. Add your coconut milk, coconut butter, almond butter, agave (or honey), and spices to the saucepan and stir until the coconut butter and almond butter have cooked. Don’t boil. We don’t need caramel.
8. Once everything is mixed together, pour the mixture over the sweet potato layers. Then top off everything with a little bit more almond meal.
9. Cover the rest of the dish with strips of bacon (unless you chopped and cooked it to add into your gratin).
10. Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and put in the oven for around 30 minutes.
11. Once the 30 minutes are up, pull out the dish, remove the aluminum foil, and put the dish under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, or until bacon is nice and crispy (or however you like yours).
12. Let cool for 10 minuts or so then dig in. (Seriously, this is another one to let cool the whole 10 minutes unless you want to burn your taste buds right off.)

Direct link: http://paleomg.com/paleo-thanksgiving-sweet-potato-gratin/

Sweet Potato Chips

This is another one of my favorite quick vegetable dishes from Paleomg.com. I make these for lunch a lot, especially when I am craving some kind of chips. The easiest way to slice these is in a food processor, but you can also use a mandolin slicer or a knife & your muscles.

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves 4+

Ingredients

1. 4 sweet potatoes (try to grab skinny ones)
2. 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
3. Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
2. Cut your sweet potatoes thin, about the thickness of a silver dollar or maybe a little thicker.
3. Put some parchment paper down on a cooking sheet.
4. Place sweet potato rounds on the parchment paper.
5. Melt coconut oil and use a pastry/cooking brush to paint some coconut oil on top of each sweet potato round.
6. Sprinkle salt on top.
7. Place in the oven to bake for around 8-10 minutes.
8. Flip sweet potatoes over and bake for another 5 minutes or until edges are brown and have curled up a bit.
9. Let cool.

Direct link: http://paleomg.com/superbowl-snacks-sweet-potato-chips/

Spicy Parsnip Wedges

The first time I tried these, I sat them down in front of some friends that were over for a BBQ, came back 5 minutes later and they were gone; I mean, to the last crumb. There weren’t that many, so since then, I’ve doubled the recipe if we have anyone else over for dinner. This recipe came from FastPaleo.com which has lots and lots and lots of recipes. You can get lost in there for weeks on end. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Cooking time: 20 minutes; Serves: 2 (or maybe only 1 – just sayin’)

Ingredients

1. 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into wedges (this is one vegetable that I always peel because they taste “woody” to me if I don’t)
2. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4. 1 clove garlic, minced
5. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
6. 1 teaspoon paprika
7. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (be sure and look at the label before adding because it looks exactly like paprika from the back, trust me)
8. 3 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions

1. Put the wedges in a bowl, pour over the coconut oil and stir until they are well coated.
2. Sprinkle over the rest of the ingredients and give it a final stir. (Instead of those two steps, I combine the spices & oil then pour it over the parsnips in a recloseable baggie and then kind of smash them around so they get coated well).
3. Transfer to a greased or lined baking tray. (Parchment paper is your friend here.)
4. Bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes until they are soft and nicely golden.

My Variation

I do 1/2 & 1/2 of parsnips and carrots. They take about the same time to bake & are really good together.

Direct link: http://fastpaleo.com/spicy-parsnip-wedges/